Site Offer Referrals, Information, Self-help Tools for Survivors and Resources for Advocates
Atlanta, GA – October 1, 2012 One in four women and one in thirteen men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. As National Domestic Violence Awareness Month begins this October, Georgians who need to know about resources for domestic violence survivors can turn to GeorgiaLegalAid.org, part of the national LawHelp.org network of nonprofit legal information portals that empower individuals to help themselves. Lawyers can beef up their pro bono service using resources from GeorgiaAdvocates.org.
Visitors to GeorgiaLegalAid.org will find easy-to-understand information about what constitutes domestic violence; orders of protection; issues related to housing rights, public benefits and children; and the needs of special populations such as immigrants. GeorgiaLegalAid.org also provides referrals to local legal aid organizations that can help. Many of these self-help and information resources are available in Spanish.
GeorgiaLegalAid.org was recently relaunched with a new design, making it even easier to navigate.
GeorgiaLegalAid.org allows survivorss and advocates to quickly and easily find and fill out needed documents, for example, a court form to obtain an order of protection.
GeorgiaLegalAid.org is Georgia’s online source of free legal aid referrals, know-your-rights information and a variety of self-help tools. The site is maintained by the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and the Georgia Legal Services Program, in conjunction with Pro Bono Net, a nonprofit leader in increasing access to justice for the disadvantaged. GeorgiaLegalAid.org, formerly known as LegalAid-GA.org was launched in 2001 and now serves more than a million views a year. LawHelp.org was developed with support from the Legal Services Corporation.
“Victims of domestic violence may not know where to turn for critically needed legal assistance and, in many cases, cannot afford to hire an attorney,” said Liz Keith, LawHelp Program Manager at Pro Bono Net. “LawHelp can easily be accessed from anywhere, for example at a computer at a public library, to find referrals for free legal services, information about legal rights and, often, free online forms and other tools for self-help.”
About Atlanta Legal Aid Society
The Atlanta Legal Aid Society has represented Atlanta’s poor in civil legal cases since 1924. Our work helps our clients deal with some of life’s most basic needs — a safe home, enough food to eat, a decent education, protection against fraud, and personal safety. Our clients come from Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia.
About Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.®
The mission of the Georgia Legal Services Program is to provide access to justice and opportunities out of poverty for Georgians with low-incomes. Our lawyers and paralegals provide the help that reflects your community’s values of fairness, equality, and responsibility to assist others in need.
__________________
About Pro Bono Net
Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation. Pro Bono Net uses innovative web-based platforms—www.probono.net, http://www.lawhelp.org and http://www.lawhelpinteractive.org —to recruit and support volunteer lawyers and provide direct information and tools for self representation to low-income communities. Pro Bono Net has also developed Pro Bono Manager, pro bono practice management software that helps AmLaw 200 law firms increase pro bono participation, manage pro bono caseloads more efficiently and raise internal and external awareness of pro bono efforts. For more information, please visit http://www.probono.net.
Lawscape 