An unfortunate fact of modern life is that most people will encounter situations in which they could use legal assistance. Problems that used to be manageable without an attorney have become more complex and intimidating. Partially because of technological progress, legal problems have become commonplace. The purpose of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus is to address the great need for legal expertise among the poor and powerless of Central Ohio. Recognizing the prominence of senior citizens in this underprivileged population, Legal Aid provides special services to senior citizens. By helping them resolve their legal problems, we hope to improve their quality of life in a small, yet meaningful, way.

The Legal Aid Society of Columbus is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to serving low-income clients throughout Central Ohio. We do not charge attorney fees for our services, although in some cases a client might have to pay for certain court costs. Since 1954, we have had an important presence in Columbus as an advocate for individuals who could otherwise not afford legal representation in civil cases.     

The following are some of the most common areas in which Legal Aid can provide legal support for low-income clients:

Housing: Access, Evictions, and Conditions

Consumer: Bankruptcy, Predatory Lending, and Creditor Harassment

Public Benefits: Termination, Denial, or Reduction of Government Benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and unemployment compensation

Taxes: Tax Deficiencies, Wage Garnishment, and Property Liens

Education: Access to Needed Services for Youth

Family: Domestic Violence, Divorces, and Custody

Elder Law: Kinship Care, Simple Wills, Nursing Home Problems, Small Estates for Surviving Spouses, and Powers of Attorney

One of the most important services we offer at this time of year is our low-income taxpayer clinic. We would like to make you aware of a new public benefit: The IRS is offering a refund of federal excise taxes paid on long-distance telephone service between February 28, 2003, and August 1, 2006. You can claim the actual long-distance telephone excise tax you paid during this period or you can claim a safe harbor amount. If you file a tax return, you can claim this as a credit to reduce your federal tax liability or increase your refund.  Even if you are not required to file a tax return, you may claim this credit as a refund on new Form 1040EZ-T.  To find out more about obtaining this credit or refund, contact a Tax-Aide Program near you for free tax assistance.  To locate free tax assistance near you, call toll-free 1-800-829-1040.

Fortunately, our usual income guidelines do not apply to people 60 years of age and older. Similarly, the services we provide to seniors are more extensive than they are for younger clients. For instance, we will sometimes handle kinship care cases where a grandparent or other relative needs assistance in order to care for a child. We will also do simple wills, powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, and living wills for senior citizens in emergency situations or refer the case to an attorney for free if there is no emergency. We will also do a simple estate for the senior citizen spouse of a recently deceased person. Of course, the additional fields of assistance we offer to senior citizens do not preclude them from receiving help in areas that are not senior citizen-specific such as public housing evictions. The reason behind our philosophy to offer extensive service to senior citizens is our belief that they are an especially vulnerable segment of our community, often in need of extraordinary legal support.  In keeping with this philosophy, we can provide visits to senior citizens who cannot come to our office in their homes, at hospitals, or at other sites.

To inquire about whether we can assist with a specific legal issue, please call our intake department between 9:30 and 3:30 Monday through Friday at 614-241-2001. We are always happy to answer any question about our services, and we genuinely enjoy working with seniors.

Jonathan M. Justl
Community Economic Development Analyst