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Legal aid: what it means

Legal aid is the free civil legal help that nonprofit organizations and their lawyers provide to low-income people in civil, not criminal, matters. In housing, that includes representing families facing eviction or foreclosure, alongside matters such as custody, child support, protection from domestic violence and access to benefits.

In Spanish it is

Asistencia legal gratuita

Also written as: civil legal aid · legal services · free legal help

Two women and a girl laugh together at the bus stop.

Verified on October 16, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

In the United States, the Legal Services Corporation, created by Congress, funds a nationwide network of these organizations; its finder points you to the one in your area. Each sets its own income limits.

An example

Mónica received an eviction notice she does not understand. She finds her county's legal aid office and a lawyer reviews the notice with her at no cost.

You will see it in…

aquitucasa's help pages, under “Free legal help”
The Legal Services Corporation's “Find Legal Help” tool
Court notices, which sometimes list the legal aid office

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “legal aid”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. Legal Services Corporation (LSC) · What is legal aid? (external site) · in English · Verified on October 16, 2026
2. Legal Services Corporation (LSC) · I need legal help (external site) · in English · Verified on October 16, 2026