Get Help

Volunteer Lawyers Project serves residents in Greater Boston. If you live in one of these towns, we may be able to help:

Acton, Arlington, Ashland, Bedford, Bellingham, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Carlisle, Chelsea, Cohasset, Concord, Dedham. Dover, Everett, Foxborough, Framingham, Franklin, Hingham, Holbrook, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hull, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medford, Medway, Melrose, Millis, Milton, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, Norwell, Norwood, Plainville, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Scituate, Sharon, Sherborn, Somerville, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn, Wollaston, Wrentham.

VLP helps lower income families from the Greater Boston Area.  To find out if you qualify, please call our ERLI helpline at 617.603.1700

We provide legal help, information, or advice in the following areas:

Civil Appeals

If you think the decision made at court was wrong or unfair? We may be able to help you appeal the decision. 

Please call the Eastern Region Legal Intake helpline and ask to be screened for the Civil Appeals Clinic.  Or apply for assistance online here.

Click here for more information about the Civil Appeals Clinic, and for information on how to start an appeal, you can visit the Appeals Court Help Center here.

Consumer / Bankruptcy

• Being harrassed or sued by debt collectors
• Debt relief
• Utilities being shut off
• Bankruptcy (Chapters 7 & 13)
• ID Theft
• Legal issues with taxes

Employment

• Wage theft and hour work violations
• Unpaid wages
• Denial of lawful benefits
• Unemployment insurance
• Nonpayment of overtime
• Misclassification of independent contractor

Family Law and Guardianship

• Guardianship over disabled adult child over 18
• Family members seeking guardianship of minor children whose parents are unavailable
• Modifications of child support and child custody
• Child support
• Child custody
• Paternity
• Divorce
• Court cases for restraining orders in an abusive relationship

Housing

• Tenants and families facing eviction
• Filing a complaint against a landlord for bad living conditions
• Low-income landlords with problem tenants
• Homeownership preservation
• Post-foreclosure eviction

Probate

• Wills
• Healthcare proxies
• Powers of attorney

If we can’t help you, maybe some of these resources can. Below we have provided emergency hotlines, additional legal help, basic legal information that is available to the public, and trusted links.

Emergency Hotlines and Services

Domestic Violence:

Safelink Domestic Violence Hotline

877-785-2020

TTY 877-521-2601

Confidential hotline, open 24/7.
Translation services in over 140 languages

Child Abuse & Neglect:

Child-At-Risk Hotline

800-792-5200

Abuse & Neglect of
Persons with Disabilities:

Disabled Persons Protection Commission Hotline

800-426-9009

TTY 888-822-0350

LGBT+ Crisis Intervention:

The Trevor Project

866-488-7386

Confidential hotline or online messaging, available 24/7.

Disaster Assistance:

Massachusetts Emergency
Management Agency (MEMA)

Call 2-1-1 for non-emergency help

For Seniors:
Elder Abuse Hotline
800-922-2275

800 Age Info
800-243-4636