Low Cost Help for Custody Cases in California

California Legal Aid

• The California Legal Aid clinic maintains "LawHelpCalifornia.org," an interactive website that helps low-income families find pro bono and sliding fee assistance throughout the state. The Civil Legal Aid clinic offers pro bono legal aid to Californians who are within or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level. Some legal aid centers limit their free assistance to Californians that fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty levels and limit assistance to certain groups of Californians such as prisoners with felony convictions or provide assistance only to prisoners. The California Legal Aid society offers low-cost help to individuals that do not qualify for free assistance through its lawyer referral service.
  
  

California Courts Self-Help Center

• California's court system provides free and low-cost help to residents. The Custody and Visitation Self-Help Center provides residents with legal information regarding their rights to visitation and custody with their children. The self-help center offers free brochures, public legal information and free downloadable forms that help pro-se or self-represented Californians with filing motions for custody and modification of existing visitation agreements.
  
  

Family Law Facilitators

• The courts offer family law facilitators in over three dozen California counties. Family law facilitators are licensed attorneys who are appointed by their county's superior court to assist local low-income residents with their family law issues including support and custody issues. Facilitators are neutrals that do not represent clients but help facilitate cases between parents. Facilitators are knowledgeable with California's family laws but also have expertise with their local court's procedures. California's family law facilitators can help parents fill out court documents, refer them to other agencies that provide additional assistance and help them learn about their legal custody options and visitation rights. Californians can contact their county's family law facilitator for help but must bring their income verification to their initial meeting with the facilitator.
  
  

State Bar of California

• The State Bar of California does not provide legal advice but provides the public with free legal referral services and legal publications that help residents understand their legal rights. The Bar maintains an active list of licensed California attorneys that specialize in family law issues and can offer free or low-cost initial consultations. The State Bar offers free downloadable forms through the Bar's Family Law Section available in both Spanish and English. The forms include information about individual options in custody cases and what parents can expect in a court custody hearing. The California Bar offers a free legal consumer library with consumer information pamphlets in addition to the forms and legal education.