In civil cases, there is not a constitutional right to a free lawyer. Many people don’t know this. South Carolina Legal Services (Legal Services) provides free lawyers for many low income people for many different types of civil cases (family law, housing, unemployment benefits, etc.). However, Legal Services can only handle so many cases, which leaves many individuals who desperately need legal help without lawyers in their important civil disputes.
There are also people who need legal help but earn too much income to qualify for help from the Legal Services Agency. Many of these folks also cannot afford the down payment cost of hiring a private lawyer. They fall between the cracks in our legal system. One Case at a Time is able to assist many of these people because their legal issues often cannot wait.
Law in Action started “One Case at a Time” to help deserving but low income individuals in the Upstate on a case by case basis. This project will be selective and small – at least in its initial phase. LIA will carefully screen potential candidates for civil case legal assistance and only after the Pro Bono Program and Legal Services have been tried.
We feel that civil litigants who go to court without legal representation are often at a total loss. The rules of evidence can be complicated and frustrating to a plaintiff trying to collect unpaid wages for example. LIA wants to help when we can and when the cause is right. That is why this new project is now underway.