If You Need Legal Help
Intake for VLP Legal Services
Get Basic Legal Information
Domestic Violence Hotline
Help for Seniors
Child Abuse or Neglect
Abuse or Neglect of Persons with Disabilities
Disaster Assistance
Start with the Legal Resource Finder
The Legal Resource Finder (LRF) will help you find out if VLP or some other legal aid program might be able to help you with your legal problem. It will also give you links to information that will help you to learn more about your legal issue. The LRF only includes information about civil - not criminal - issues. Click here for the Legal Resource Finder. If you do not want to use the Legal Resource Finder, you can contact the Eastern Region Legal Intake (ERLI) Helpline at 617-603-1700.
Call VLP's Helpline ERLI (Eastern Region Legal Intake)
To reach ERLI, call: 617- 603-1700 or 1-800-342-LAWS (5297). The ERLI helpline is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.You may need to wait to speak to a paralegal or lawyer when you call ERLI. Please be patient.
Whatever you tell ERLI is private and confidential. An ERLI staff person will ask you some questions to find out if you qualify for legal services from VLP or another office. ERLI may be able to give you information or advice about your legal problem.
Eligibility for VLP Services
Whether VLP can help you depends on a few things:
- where you live (the cities and towns VLP serves are listed below),
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your household's income and assets,
- the type of legal problem you have, and
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whether you are a United States citizen or have a green card or other legal immigration status (because of its funding, VLP can only represent US Citizens or legal immigrants).
Your conversation with ERLI is private and confidential even if you do not qualify for free legal services. If you do not qualify for VLP's services, ERLI may refer you to other legal aid offices or private attorney referral services or they may give you advice or information about your legal problem.
Cities and Towns VLP Serves
Acton, Arlington, Ashland, Bedford, Bellingham, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Carlisle, Chelsea, Cohasset, Concord, Dedham. Dover, Everett, Foxborough, Framingham, Franklin, Hingham, Holbrook, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hull, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medford, Medway, Melrose, Millis, Milton, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, Norwell, Norwood, Plainville, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Scituate, Sharon, Sherborn, Somerville, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn, Wollaston, Wrentham.
Types of Cases VLP Handles
- Landlord/Tenant
- Homeownership
- Foreclosure Prevention
- Family Law
- Guardianship
- Probate (Wills & Estates)
- Bankruptcy
- Unemployment Insurance
- Consumer Debt
- Assistance to Non-Profit Organizations
VLP does not handle criminal cases or represent prisoners on any matter whether related to their incarceration or not. VLP does not handle personal injury cases. If you do not have a kind of case that VLP handles, ERLI may be able give you information or advice, or refer you to an organization that handles that kind of case.
Safelink Domestic Violence Hotline
Call SafeLink at 1-877-785-2020. Callers to SafeLink receive confidential "help at the end of the line" 24 hours a day, every day of the year. SafeLink's specially trained advocates provide support in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and have access to TTY (877-521-2601) and translation services through on-call specialists at the ATT Language Line. That resource can provide simultaneous interpretation in over 140 languages, giving SafeLink the capacity to respond to most callers in their native language. See Safelink website for more information.
Help for Seniors
Elder Abuse Hotline, 1-800-922-2275 (V/TDD). Click here for more information.
800AgeInfo, 1-800-243-4636. Find out about services for Massachusetts elders and their families. Click here for more information.
Child Abuse or Neglect
Child-At-Risk Hotline, 1-800-792-5200. Click here for more information.
Abuse or Neglect of Persons with Disabilities
Disabled Persons Protection Commission Hotline, 800-426-9009 or 888-822-0350 TTY. Click here for more information.
Disaster Assistance
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), call 2-1-1 for non-emergency help. Click here for more information.
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For basic information about your legal rights or to find out about legal aid offices in Massachusetts, go to www.masslegalhelp.org or click the button:
