Annual free family law legal clinic
JANS – The Hinds County Chancery Court, in partnership with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP), Jackson Public School District (JPS), Mission First, and the Capital Area Bar Association (CABA), will host the annual Hinds County Family Law Free Legal Clinic to help eligible Hinds County residents with certain family law and estate planning matters. It will be held at the Hinds County Chancery Courthouse, 316 South President Street, 3rd Floor, Jackson, MS. To better serve the public, the clinic will take place over multiple days.
Registration is required for residents seeking assistance. To apply, residents must attend registration on Thursday, July 16th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., where they will complete an application and eligibility screening. Individuals who qualify for services will receive an appointment date and time to meet with a volunteer attorney. Only those who register on July 16th and are found eligible will be scheduled for an appointment. Appointments will take place on Fri., July 17th, and Fri., July 24th.
Volunteer attorneys may be able to assist with uncontested divorces, uncontested guardianships, birth certificate correction, name change, simple wills, advance healthcare directives, and power of attorney. Services are available only to individuals who meet income guidelines and whose legal matter qualify for assistance.
Individuals attending registration should bring any documents related to their legal matter, including birth certificates for guardianships, birth certificate corrections, name changes, or divorces involving minor children. Individuals seeking a divorce should also bring a marriage license. Because space is limited, appointments for those who qualify will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. This clinic offers eligible residents an opportunity to receive free legal guidance and support from volunteer attorneys, helping families navigate legal issues that can be difficult to manage without assistance.
The legal clinics are self-representation clinics, meaning the individuals who attend and receive services from the attorneys are empowered to handle their legal matters in court on their own. The pro bono attorney will not go to court with the participant. Eligibility to attend a clinic is limited to people whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, that would be an annual income of $31,920 or less for an individual, or an annual income of $66,000 or less for a family of four, based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
For more information, call 601-960-9577.
