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Link to original content: http://courts.delaware.gov/help/legalassistance.aspx
Delaware State Courts Legal Assistance - Help & Support - Delaware Courts - State of Delaware

     

The Delaware State Courts will be closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29, 2024 for Thanksgiving. Justice of the Peace Court 11 (New Castle County) and Court 7 (Kent County) will remain open 24 hours and Justice of the Peace Court 3 (Sussex County) will be open from 6AM – 12AM (no new cases after 11:00PM).

  1. Delaware Courts
  2. Help & Support

Legal Assistance

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Representing Yourself

The court process can be very complicated. Representing yourself may take a lot of time, may be difficult, and may be confusing. The Court will expect you to follow the same rules attorneys must follow. If at any point throughout the Court process you are not sure about representing yourself, you should talk to an attorney.

Please remember that court staff cannot give you legal advice. If you have a question about what options you have or what you should do, you should talk to an attorney. Just because you talk to an attorney does not necessarily mean that you must hire that attorney to represent you. Ask the attorney if he/she is willing to meet with you for a consultation to answer your questions without having to hire that attorney for full representation. Also ask before you meet with the attorney what fees, if any, are involved for the consultation.

Click here for a list of some things that court staff can and cannot do for you.

Legal Services

If you would like to find out if you qualify for free legal assistance by one of the legal service providers below, please visit the Legal Help Link. If you do qualify, the Legal Help Link will refer you to the appropriate legal service provider. You can also seek a lawyer referral through the Lawyer Referral Service to schedule a 30-minute meeting with an attorney for a reduced fee.

Civil Matters

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Provides civil legal services to members of our community who have low incomes, who have disabilities, or who are age 60 and over.

New Castle County:302-575-0660
Kent County: 302-674-8500
Sussex County: 302-856-0038

Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (DVLS)

DVLS is an organization of primarily volunteer attorneys that provides legal assistance to members of our community who have low-incomes or are victims of domestic violence with problems in a variety of civil areas. They can be reached at 302-478-8680 or 1-888-225-0582

Legal Services Corporation of Delaware, Inc.

Provides legal representation to Delaware's low-income population in civil matters such as bankruptcy petitions and advice, consumer problems, housing problems, and unemployment benefit problems.

New Castle County: 302-575-0408
Kent County: 302-734-8820

Limited Legal Assistance Program

Free 15 minutes of legal assistance. Volunteer attorneys are meeting with eligible self-represented litigants for a one-time fifteen-minute meeting. The attorney will not be meeting with the self-represented litigant outside of the program. Nor will the attorney represent the litigant in court.

There is no income eligibility for this service. Instead, to be eligible, people seeking assistance must not have received previous legal assistance regarding the same issue and their question must be one that can be asked and answered within the fifteen-minute timeframe. People using the service will be directed to legal service providers and reference materials for further assistance.    

Currently, the Limited Legal Assistance Program is available at the Self-Help Center in the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center, 2nd floor, 500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE in the areas of:

Civil Family Law: Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

This service is available by appointment. To schedule an appointment and to be screened for eligibility, visit the Information Desk on the first floor of the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center (courthouse) or call 302-255-0476.

Criminal Matters

The Office of Defense Services

The Office of Defense Services provides the following indigent defendants with representation in criminal matters: every adult arrested or charged with a crime that carries the possibility of incarceration who cannot afford an attorney; and any child arrested or charged with a crime.

New Castle County: 302-577-5200
Kent County: 302-739-4476
Sussex County: 302-856-5310

Online Help

Online, you may find a lawyer using services such as the Lawyer Locater in the Martindale Directory which provides access to the Law Directory, or you can use another of their free services, Lawyer Directory from LexisNexis or the Personal Injury Lawyer Directory from Martindale.