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Community Legal Services Provides Legal Aid to Florida Residents

Dena Standley | July 05, 2024

Dena Standley
Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: If you are a resident of Central Florida with a legal issue and earn less than 125% of the federal poverty income guidelines, Community Legal Services can help you receive the justice you deserve.

Residents of Central Florida experiencing legal challenges and meeting the income criteria can utilize the legal expertise of Community Legal Services for free assistance. Community Legal Services is an organization that provides civil legal aid to low-income individuals. They assist them in resolving everyday non-criminal challenges such as:

  • Protecting women and children from domestic violence
  • Protecting seniors from illegal evictions
  • Aiding veterans receive financial benefits
  • Educating different groups about their rights
  • Helping individuals and families manage their finances and get out of debt
  • Aiding homeless people in accessing resources to meet their basic needs

Community Legal Services is the place to seek assistance if you or someone you know is experiencing these challenges. Their goal is to help the most vulnerable and disenfranchised Central Florida residents know their rights and access free legal representation and assistance.

How Community Legal Services achieves its mission

Since 1966, Community Legal Services has been a provider of free legal aid to the poor and vulnerable residents of Central Florida. Their mission is to: “Provide no-cost legal services to the most vulnerable in Central Florida and help them protect their families, health, and livelihood.”

CLS achieves this goal by faithfully abiding by the following six core values with the acronym PILLAR.

Community Legal Services Core Values
Core Value How CLS Achieves It
Passionate CLS takes meaningful causes even when challenging, influencing the community to join in the fight for justice
Integrity CLS interactions are grounded in the foundation of trust, honesty, and integrity
Leverage CLS uses all resources at its disposal for the client to feel empowered, heard, and supported
Leadership CLS leadership pursues high standards of excellence in practice and partnerships formed
Adaptable CLS watches out for new opportunities by listening to all ideas and embracing change to achieve better outcomes
Respect CLS treats everyone with dignity, professionalism, and respect as they embrace diversity, foster positivity, and communicate with empathy

Community Legal Services' powerful team of over 100 advocates, attorneys, and staff makes it possible for the organization to achieve its mission. They work in twelve counties across Central Florida, reaching over 20,000 residents yearly. The leadership team comprises Jeffrey Harvey, the Chief Executive Officer; Danielle Harris, the Chief Program Officer; Nadia Soulouque, the Chief Human Resources Officer; and Teri Kozub, the Chief Financial Officer.

The fifteen-member board of directors selected and appointed by different agencies and organizations serve as CLS ambassadors. They succeed in educating the community and building relationships that support the mission.

Community Legal Services success stories

Community Legal Services walks the talk. Many Central Florida residents have received help addressing their legal issues by working with CLS staff.

For example, Oliver, a veteran, spent months trying to address his health situation with Veterans Affairs. After many disappointments and even filing an appeal in court, he sought CLS’s help and was connected to a staff lawyer who assisted him in receiving the medication he needed.

Other success stories CLS saw in 2022 include the following:

  • Two hundred ninety persons with a disability were protected from discrimination.
  • Worked on 14,609 legal issues.
  • Held 387 in-person events in the twelve counties, educating 11,658 people.
  • It provided social security benefits, healthcare, and estate planning services to 2,716 seniors.
  • 942 veterans with legal issues such as public benefits and housing were assisted.
  • Six thousand five hundred fifty-two domestic violence survivors received protection with legal matters such as divorce, housing, and injunctions.
  • $3.9M in rental assistance was collected after holding 26 emergency rental assistance and legal advice clinics.

To qualify for the CLS program, a person must apply for legal eligibility by meeting specific guidelines based on income, assets, and household size. You are likely eligible if your income does not exceed 125% of the federal poverty income guidelines. However, cases concerning elderly clients or domestic violence may not require strict adherence to the income guidelines.

Who can participate?

CLS is open to accepting help from legal and non-legal individuals who are willing to offer their services. Legal professionals serve in the category called Pro Bono opportunities. These individuals (mostly attorneys) assist in various legal issues such as:

  • Spending time in the legal clinics advising clients
  • Limited or extended representations
  • Train or be trained in the peer academy
  • Office hours
  • Non-case activities
  • Custom opportunities in which you create ways you can help
  • Emeritus lawyer specific to retired or inactive legal professionals

Law students and non-legal individuals fall under the volunteer opportunities category, where they come in to assist in reaching out to the communities and helping advocates have a greater impact. You can also participate by donating online to help the thousands of families who cannot afford an attorney get the legal service and justice they deserve.

Utilize Community Legal Services to respond to a summons for debt in Florida

If you’ve been sued for debt in Florida, Community Legal Services has an entire page with resources to help you. These resources cover topics such as:

  • Budgeting tips
  • Bill collections and harassment
  • Bankruptcy
  • Credit reporting
  • Loan deficiency
  • Mortgage deficiency
  • Wage garnishment
  • Repossession
  • Student loans
  • Identity theft

Use these resources to learn about your consumer rights when dealing with debt collectors in Florida. Most importantly, don’t ignore notices from debt collectors. Be proactive and respond, whether it's replying to an initial debt collection letter or filing an Answer in a debt lawsuit court case.

For more information on how to respond to a summons for debt in Florida, check out the following video:

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