Legal Basics
Legal Info: Lifelines
Legal Basics
Legal Basics:
The Differences between Federal, State, and Local Laws
There are different types of laws. Federal laws apply to everyone in the United States. State and local laws apply to people who live or work in a particular state, commonwealth, territory, county, city, municipality, town, township or village.
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Getting Legal Assistance in Your Language: Language Access Rights at Legal Aid Offices
Legal aid offices (also called legal services) are not-for-profit agencies that provide free legal help to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Many legal aid offices throughout the United States receive money from the U.S. government and therefore must provide language access services to people who do not speak English well.
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Preparing for Court
This guide is for people who already have a legal dispute that is being decided by a court or at an agency hearing and do not have an attorney.
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Working with an Interpreter in a Legal Setting
Many lawyers and legal aid offices (also called legal services) use interpreters to talk to people who do not speak English well. How to best work with an interpreter is explained below.
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Your Right to Assistance in Your Language: Basic Information about Federal Language Access Rights
Under U.S. law, if you are seeking services from a government agency or an organization funded by the U.S. government, you must be provided with assistance in your language.
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Court Fees and Getting Them Waived
You may have to pay fees (money) in your court case. The different types of fees are explained below. If you cannot afford the court fees, you may be able to get them waived (which means set aside or forgiven) by the court.
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Legal Aid and other Low-Cost Legal Help
There are legal aid offices (also called legal services) throughout the United States. Legal aid offices are not-for-profit agencies that provide free legal help to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Click here to read about how a legal aid office can help you.
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The Differences between Criminal Court and Civil Court
If you are not sure whether your case belongs in criminal or civil court, read this resource to learn about their important differences.
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Power of Attorney
A power of attorney allows an agent to make all personal and business decisions for a person. This resource explains what a power of attorney is and what to expect when having one.
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