Apply for Legal Assistance

Idaho Legal Aid Services provides civil legal assistance to eligible Idaho residents. Our support is available for individuals who are low-income, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, or older adults (age 60+). Please note that our services are solely for civil matters; we do not handle criminal cases. 

To ensure that we can best assist you, our intake process requires details about your legal issue and an overview of the income and assets of everyone residing in your household. This information helps us determine whether your situation falls within our targeted areas, which focus on essential needs such as housing, income, medical care, and family safety. We also review potential conflicts of interest - especially when multiple parties are involved.

We offer several methods for applying for legal assistance:

Online Application

Click here to begin our secure online application. The process typically takes around 15 minutes and will consist of asking you a series of questions. Once your application is reviewed, an intake specialist will contact you. Depending on the nature of your legal need, we may offer guidance in the form of legal advice over the phone, an appointment with an attorney, informational brochures, or referrals to other organizations.

By Phone

Call us at 208-746-7541, Monday through Wednesday, between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Mountain Time (9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Pacific Time). Please note that phone intakes are not available on Thursdays or Fridays.

In Person

Visit your local Idaho Legal Aid Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for an in-person application. In-person intakes are not available after 4:30 p.m.

Legal Advice Lines

Idaho Legal Aid Services also offers dedicated advice lines:

Domestic and Sexual Violence Advice Line: For survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking. If you are in immediate danger right now, please dial 911.

Housing Advice Line: For questions related to eviction, foreclosure, or housing discrimination.

Senior and Public Benefits Advice Line: For older adults (60+) or low-income individuals needing information on public benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI.

For more information, click on our Legal Advice Lines tab at the top of the page or call: 208-746-7541 during intake hours.

Preparing for Your Application

You will need some information to get through the application process. Some of it is basic, like your name and the county where you live, but some information may be harder to find like your household income and assets (what you own).

Make sure you have this information ready before you apply:

1. Your full name, address, and county you live in;
2. The name of the person, business, or organization causing your legal problem (if any);
3. The sources of all your total household income and the amount your household gets each month from each source. Household income means income for you and anyone else who lives in your household; and,
4. The amount of money in all your bank and/or retirement accounts.

Before we can assist you, we must find out whether you are eligible for services with our office. Our attorneys must also avoid conflicts of interest that arise from talking with both parties in a dispute. We will ask you for information about the person, business, or agency with whom you are having a problem in order to find out whether there are any potential conflicts of interest. If you are applying for help on behalf of another person, we will decide whether we can speak with you about the legal issue or if we need to speak directly with the person on whose behalf you are calling.

If you are eligible to speak with an attorney, the attorney will ask you additional questions about your legal problem. Please have any papers or documents ready when we contact you. It will also help if you have important information such as the names of people involved with the problem and their addresses and telephone numbers.

Our Commitment to Fair Service

Idaho Legal Aid Services does not discriminate in the delivery of services or benefits based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. If you have experienced discrimination, you can file a complaint with us here. You also can file complaints with the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance and the State of Idaho here.

If we decline to help you or you are unhappy with the legal assistance we provide to you, you may file a grievance. You can download the Online Applications Review Form here.