Legal Information & Forms

PO Box 1358
South Bend, IN 46624
email: volunteerinc@att.net

Application for assistance: https://www.volunteerlawyernetwork.net/application
Phone: (574) 277-0075 (Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9 AM – 5 PM)

Offers free legal assistance and representation from community lawyers to eligible low-income individuals located in St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaPorte, Starke, Marshall and Kosciusko counties.

Legal areas covered: Family law, adoptions, guardianships, foreclosure, landlord-tenant, consumer/collections, estate law, wills, power of attorney, health care directives, contracts, real estate, bankruptcy, immigration

227 S. Main Street, Suite 200
South Bend, IN 46601

Application for assistance: http://www.indianalegalservices.org/applyonline
Intake Phone Number (toll-free): 844-243-8570 (Monday – Friday 9 AM – 1 PM Central)

Offers free legal assistance and advice to eligible low-income individuals located in Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Lagrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Noble, Pulaski, Starke, and St. Joseph counties.

Legal areas covered: Family law, consumer law, senior law, housing issues, public benefits

Need help with a legal question but can’t afford a lawyer? ABA Free Legal Answers is a website on which you can submit your questions about civil (non-criminal) legal issues and receive answers from volunteer lawyers in your state. You may be able to get free legal advice if you meet the following guidelines:

• Your income is low for a family the size of yours.
• The value of your checking account, savings account, stocks or bonds are low.
• You aren’t in jail or prison.
• Your legal problem isn’t related to a criminal charge.
• You don’t already have a lawyer to help you with your legal problem.
• You are an adult.

Serving LaPorte County

Online intake form: https://www.indianafreelegal.com/

Legal areas covered: Immigration, housing, bankruptcy, family law, expungement, tax issues, and more

Operates six clinics that provide free legal services for a small number of cases each semester. For individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations in the South Bend region who cannot afford legal counsel. The clinics begin the intake process in the middle of August for the fall semester and early January for the spring semester.

Intake Phone Number: 574-631-6704

Legal areas covered:

• Applied Mediation: Provides mediation services to individuals litigating civil matters such as child custody, parenting time, landlord-tenant disputes, and contract disputes.
• Community Development: Offers non-litigation services to nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
• Economic Justice: Provides legal services to low-income clients in consumer law matters.
• Exoneration Justice: Committed to correcting the miscarriage of justice and investigating, litigating, and overturning wrongful convictions.
• Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship: Offers counsel to businesses and entrepreneurs on IP-related issues.
• Tax: Represents low-income clients in controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.

Represent qualifying low-income parents and students with disabilities in court, Indiana Department of Education proceedings, special education complaints, mediation, and Article 7 due process hearings.

Intake form: https://cdn.zephyrcms.com/62400571-180f-4051-93d4-6d78ebc7789c/-/inline/yes/dlsi-client-intake-form-july-2019.pdf
Return form to:
Mail: 5954 North College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Fax: 317-282-0608
Email: mjones@disabilitylegalservicesindiana.org

Legal areas covered: Special education, school discipline of students with disabilities, Section 504 plans, and issues concerning accommodations for students.

1031 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Online intake form: http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1157118-hfibE7kI4V
Intake email: intake@aclu-in.org

Serving residents of Indiana

Legal areas covered: Civil liberties or constitutional rights violations by a government agency or organization, including town government, public schools, police officers, or the State of Indiana. Includes freedom of speech, freedom of religion, police misconduct, censorship in public schools or libraries, privacy violations, inhumane jail or prison conditions, and more.

3951 N. Meridian Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: 317-685-8800

Serving residents of Indiana

Intake form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUqGpfULYVgJqJQD1_Qh1x9sCp8R0V_EvVhhtARI6Cnfg15A/viewform

Legal areas covered: Provides legal assistance in select cases for Indiana citizens and communities facing environmental problems

Need help with a legal question but can’t afford a lawyer? ABA Free Legal Answers is a website on which you can submit your questions about civil (non-criminal) legal issues and receive answers from volunteer lawyers in your state. You may be able to get free legal advice if you meet the following guidelines:

• Your income is low for a family the size of yours.
• The value of your checking account, savings account, stocks or bonds are low.
• You aren’t in jail or prison.
• Your legal problem isn’t related to a criminal charge.
• You don’t already have a lawyer to help you with your legal problem.
• You are an adult.

Find information on legal topics related to housing, employment, consumer law, family issues, health and medical topics, public benefits, taxes, and more.

Find information about Indiana family law, including adoption, custody and parenting time, grandparent visitation, guardianship and third party custody, paternity establishment, Children In Need of Services (CHINS), termination of the parent-child relationship, and more.

Find information on legal issues, the courts, and legal education.

Offers full-text Nolo legal guides for consumers and how-to information covering a wide range of legal issues. Log in with your library card number. Don’t have a library card? Sign up now to get an eCard.

Get professionally-written legal forms, available to download in Microsoft Word and PDF formats. Find forms for bankruptcy, power of attorney, wills & estates, landlord/tenant, incorporation, real estate, and more. Also includes a legal terms dictionary, law digest and legal questions & answers. Log in with your library card number. Don’t have a library card? Sign up now to get an eCard.

Search for non-confidential civil and criminal cases in Indiana courts, including La Porte County, that use the Odyssey case management system.

LaPorte Courthouse:
(219) 326-6808
813 Lincolnway
LaPorte, IN 46350

Michigan City Courthouse:
(219) 874-5611
300 Washington Street
Michigan City, IN 46360

Information about the LaPorte County Courts.

Search for lawyers and law firms by practice area, location, and/or name.

A listing of all attorneys licensed to practice law in Indiana. Each attorney’s record includes license status, disciplinary history, contact information, and any other names the attorney has practiced under.

Provides information on more than 5,000 legal topics. Log in with your library card number. Don’t have a library card? Sign up now to get an eCard.

Find definitions for more than 15,000 legal terms.

The ordinances of the City of Michigan City, Indiana.

The laws of the State of Indiana.

Rules and laws governing the activities of Indiana agencies. Includes rules and enforcement of state regulations.

The legislature of the state of Indiana.

Opinions, oral arguments, case documents, and information about the Indiana Supreme Court.

The highest body of state law in Indiana.

The laws of the United States of America.

The daily journal of the U.S. government. Features notices of public meetings, hearings, rule changes, investigations and funding for federal agencies.

The legislature of the federal government.

Opinions, oral arguments, case documents, and information about the Supreme Court.

Rules of the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

The supreme law of the United States of America and charter of government.