Personal Cases/Legal Assistance

Unfortunately, the National Tribal Justice Resource Center cannot provide legal assistance on cases, as we work directly with tribal courts and their personnel on court administration/operational issues, not cases they may hear. To help you get started though, we have compiled a directory of different forms of legal groups that may be able to provide you assistance.

Legal Assistance Guides and FAQ's

Access general information on the legal system, how to defend yourself and general information on laws through legal assistance guides. Get your questions answered from state and federal legal assistance FAQ's.

• Consumers Guide to Legal Help - ABA - Instructions on obtaining legal information and services.
• Find Law Legal Guide - Legal guide providing cases, codes, forms, articles and links, law schools, bar associations, directories of service providers, and continuing legal education, with information for legal professionals, business, students, and the public.
• Legal Research 101 - A basic introduction to sources of law, how to find them, how to make sure that they are current, and correct citation. Authored by Santa Barbara College of Law Professor Craig Smith.
• Law Info - Offering legal faq's, as well as directories of legal professionals and provision of paralegal services.
• American Law Sources On-Line - Provides a comprehensive, uniform, and useful compilation of links to freely accessible on-line sources of law for the United States and Canada.
• Legal Information by Category - A directory of legal information links and resources searchable by category.
• Legal Information Institute - The LII collection of state legal materials gathers, state by state, Internet-accessible sources of the constitutions, statutes, judicial opinions, and regulations for the fifty states, plus D.C., and the U.S. territories and affiliated jurisdictions.
• US Legal Reference Directory - Directory of legal reference by state, also includes links to federal laws and documents.
• Criminal Justice Today Glossary - Browsable dictionary of legal terms.
• Law.com - A law dictionary with multiple search options. Includes abbreviations and cross-referenced links.
• Lawyers.com - Includes glossary of legal terms with search function.
• Nolo's Legal Glossary - Provides plain English definitions of legal terms. Includes cross-referenced links and search function.

Legal Aid Directory

Legal aid is legal assistance provided to people who might not otherwise be able to afford legal representation. Most legal aid offices are provided by government and private funding as a way to create equality in legal matters. There are several types of legal aid available including legal aid 'clinics' which provide legal assistance to qualifying low-income clients and private law firms who do pro-bono work for eligible clients as a way of giving back to the community. Most states have a legal aid service as well as several services based on large areas around the U.S. To find pro-bono lawyers, you can search through pro-bono service directories.

• Legal Aid Directory from DMOZ - Directory of legal aid programs, legal aid directories, pro-bono law firms, law foundations with funding and pro-bono directories.
• Legal Services Corporation - The United States Congress established the Legal Services Corporation to provide low-income Americans access to civil legal aid. To carry out this responsibility, the Corporation provides grants to approximately 179 local legal aid programs, which serve every county in the nation. These local programs offer legal assistance to financially eligible clients.
• LSC Program Directory for Legal Services by State - View a list of legal service assistance programs by state or state and county. Includes ones that are specifically working with tribes.
• National Association of Indian Legal Services - Find legal services funded Indian programs and components, provided by Wisconsin Judicare Inc.
• National Center on Poverty Law - The National Center on Poverty Law (NCPL) is a legal and policy research, communications, and advocacy organization that provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and supporting creative and collaborative approaches to achieve social and economic justice for low-income people. NCPL is now a nonprofit organization that facilitates creative and collaborative approaches for representing low-income people in social policy and poverty law.
• National Legal Aid and Defender Association - Non-profit membership organization devoting its resources to advocating equal access to justice for all Americans.
• State Legal Aid Resources - Search for legal aid offices in your state, also find lawyers, general legal information by type of case and state bar associaitons.
• ABA Legal Help for the Poor - State by state listing of pro bono programs, from the American Bar Association's Access to Justice program.
• Law Help - Directory of legal assistance providers for low income individuals.
• Lawyers for Children America - Provides pro bono legal services to children who have been the victims of abuse or neglect.
• Pro Bono Institute - Exploring and identifying new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
• ProBono.Net - Online network of lawyers serving the public interest and the legal needs of low-income individuals.
• Public Interest Lawyers and Law Firms - Directory of pro bono law firms, lawyers and directories of pro-bono law firms and organizations.

Native American Lawyers/Law Firms

Locate Indian run law firms and lawyers. Also locate law firms that deal specifically with tribal cases. When approaching a matter in a tribal court, contact the court directly for a list of approved lawyers.

• Legal Aid Directory from DMOZ - Directory of legal aid programs, legal aid directories, pro-bono law firms, law foundations with funding and pro-bono directories.
• Legal Services Corporation - The United States Congress established the Legal Services Corporation to provide low-income Americans access to civil legal aid. To carry out this responsibility, the Corporation provides grants to approximately 179 local legal aid programs, which serve every county in the nation. These local programs offer legal assistance to financially eligible clients.
• LSC Program Directory for Legal Services by State - View a list of legal service assistance programs by state or state and county. Includes ones that are specifically working with tribes.
• National Association of Indian Legal Services - Find legal services funded Indian programs and components, provided by Wisconsin Judicare Inc.
• National Center on Poverty Law - The National Center on Poverty Law (NCPL) is a legal and policy research, communications, and advocacy organization that provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and supporting creative and collaborative approaches to achieve social and economic justice for low-income people. NCPL is now a nonprofit organization that facilitates creative and collaborative approaches for representing low-income people in social policy and poverty law.
• National Legal Aid and Defender Association - Non-profit membership organization devoting its resources to advocating equal access to justice for all Americans.
• State Legal Aid Resources - Search for legal aid offices in your state, also find lawyers, general legal information by type of case and state bar associaitons.
• ABA Legal Help for the Poor - State by state listing of pro bono programs, from the American Bar Association's Access to Justice program.
• Law Help - Directory of legal assistance providers for low income individuals.
• Lawyers for Children America - Provides pro bono legal services to children who have been the victims of abuse or neglect.
• Pro Bono Institute - Exploring and identifying new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
• ProBono.Net - Online network of lawyers serving the public interest and the legal needs of low-income individuals.
• Public Interest Lawyers and Law Firms - Directory of pro bono law firms, lawyers and directories of pro-bono law firms and organizations.

Bar Associations

Professional associations that are dedicated to providing legal professionals continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist them in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system.

• American Bar Association - Welcome to the American Bar Association, the largest voluntary professional association in the world.
• Indian Law Section - ABA - The Indian Law Section of the FBA focuses on Native American Laws in the United States. One Indian law scholar claims that the Supreme Court accepts cases involving Indian law issues at a rate higher than any other area of law.
• Minnesota American Indian Bar Association - MAIBA members support each other professionally and personally, mentor law students and young lawyers, network about job and volunteer opportunities, raise and award scholarship money for law students, provide education about Indian law issues, support Indian law causes, and have fun together.
• National Native American Bar Association - The National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) serves as the national association for Native American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students.
• Northwest Indian Bar Association - The Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA) is a non-profit organization comprised of Indian attorneys and judges in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Indian Law Clinics

Many law schools have a law clinic or Indian law clinic which provides legal representation to low-income people with specific legal issues. The clinic often provides pro-bono work to provide direct legal assistance or provide referal services. Indian law clinics give students hands-on experience regarding Indian law issues. The students work on both federal Indian law and specific tribal law cases under the supervision of an attorney or law clinic director.

• Center for Indigenous Law, Syracuse University School of Law - The Center for Indigenous Law, Governance Citizenship at Syracuse University School of Law is a research based law and policy institute focused on Indigenous nations, their development and their interaction with the U.S. and Canadian governments.
• Great Lakes Indian Law Center, University of Wisconsin Law School - The Great Lakes Indian Law Center (GLILC) was established in 1992 to buttress the practical legal skills of all students interested in Federal Indian Law while providing a legal resource for Native American Tribes.
• Indian Child Welfare Act Clinic, University of Minnesota Law School - The Indian Child Welfare Act Clinic is a two-semester clinic offered annually since 1996. The ICWA Clinic gives students practical experience in bandling family law and juvenile law cases with a special emphasis on the federal Indian Child Welfare Act passed by Congress in 1978.
• Indian Country Environmental Justice Clinic, Vermont Law School - Vermont Law School is committed to helping tribal governments and the people of Indian communities deal with these problems, as evidenced by the First Nations Environmental Law Fellowship Program and the Indian Country Environmental Justice Clinic. In addition to the Fellowship Program and the Clinic, the faculty of Vermont Law School can help students to fashion individualized educational experiences in the field of Indian country environmental law, such as internships with inter-tribal organizations and independent research projects.
• Indian Law Clinic, University of Colorado - The Indian Law Clinic of the University of Colorado School of Law was established in 1992 as a component of the school's clinical education program. The Indian Law Clinic provides quality legal representation to low income Native clients with specific Indian law related problems. Cases are handled by student attorneys under the supervision of a licensed attorney, the Director. Intended to provide students with hands-on experience regarding Indian law issues, the Indian Law Clinic focuses primarily on cases or projects located in Colorado that have a uniquely Indian law dimension.
• Indian Law Clinic, University of Montana School of Law - The Indian Law Clinic at the University of Montana School of Law was established in 1980 as a component of the school's clinical education program. Designed to provide students with practical experience regarding Indian law issues, the Indian Law Clinic is an in-house clinical program focusing primarily on issues and problems affecting tribal governments and justice systems located in Montana and Wyoming. The Indian Law Clinic provides legal research and technical assistance on Indian law issues to a variety of individuals and entities.
• Indian Law Clinic, University of Tulsa School of Law - The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Legal Services Clinic is a partnership between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the University of Tulsa College of Law Boesche Legal Clinic and was established in the fall semester of 2002 as a component of the University of Tulsa Legal Clinic and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Judicial Branch. The partnership was developed in discussions with tribal leaders, tribal councilmen and members of the Judiciary and the Legal Clinic in the fall semester of 2001.
• Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Clinic - The Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona Rogers College of Law is pioneering a model of applied research and advocacy that contributes to legal and policy reforms at both the domestic and international levels and that harnesses those reforms to address particular problems faced by indigenous peoples.
• Native American Law Center, University of Washington School of Law - The mission of Native Nations Law and Policy Center at UCLA School of Law is to support Native nations throughout the United States, with a special focus on California tribes, in developing their systems of governance and in addressing critical public policy issues and to apply the resources of state-supported education together with tribal expertise to address contemporary educational needs for southern California Tribes.
• Native American Law Center, University of Washington School of Law - The mission of Native Nations Law and Policy Center at UCLA School of Law is to support Native nations throughout the United States, with a special focus on California tribes, in developing their systems of governance and in addressing critical public policy issues and to apply the resources of state-supported education together with tribal expertise to address contemporary educational needs for southern California Tribes.
• Native American Law Project, University of North Dakota - Native American Law Project is a specialized clinical program, which provides legal assistance to the Spirit Lake Tribal Court. In the past, a separate component of the Project has also served as Tribal Prosecutor in criminal and juvenile proceedings on the Spirit Lake Reservation.
• Native Nations Law and Policy Center, UCLA School of Law - The mission of Native Nations Law and Policy Center at UCLA School of Law is to support Native nations throughout the United States, with a special focus on California tribes, in developing their systems of governance and in addressing critical public policy issues and to apply the resources of state-supported education together with tribal expertise to address contemporary educational needs for southern California Tribes.
• Northwest Indian Law Clinic, University of Washington - The Northwest Indian Law Clinic is committed to providing quality legal representation to low income Native clients with specific Indian law related problems. The Clinic is further committed to creating tools for individual Natives and Pro Bono attorneys in order to surmount barriers Indian law nuances present to the service of this largely unrepresented population.
• Southwest Indian Law Clinic, University of New Mexico - The Southwest Indian Law Clinic (SILC) provides students the opportunity to represent clients in cases involving Native American issues in various state, federal, and tribal courts and in governmental agencies. Students are also given the opportunity to work with selected tribes, pueblos, and community groups on broader legal issues and community education.
• Tribal Court Criminal Defense Clinic, University of Washington School of Law - As part of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington School of Law, the Tribal Court Criminal Defense Clinic partners with the Tulalip Tribes to serve as the public defender on the Tulalip Indian Reservation.
• Tribal Law and Government Center, University of Kansas School of Law - The Tribal Law and Government Center at the University of Kansas School of Law was founded to prepare a new generation of advocates, particularly American Indians and other Indigenous peoples, for careers representing Indian nations and peoples, and to establish a forum for the research and study of tribal legal and governance issues.
• Tribal Legal Development Clinic - The Tribal Legal Development Clinic (TLDC) provides a unique clinical training experience to students who are interested in working with Native Nations located within the United States on their legal development projects. The interdisciplinary clinic is open to both law students and students in the Masters program for American Indian Studies.