The information you provide to us will be treated as confidential. We will use the information you provide in the application only to determine your eligibility for services and, if we can assist you, to aid us in providing those services.

If you are using a public computer or computer that does not belong to you, be sure to close out of the browser completely when you are done so that other users cannot view your application.

IF YOU FEAR FOR YOUR SAFETY we do NOT recommend the use of this application. Information entered online may be stored in the computer you use, and may be retrieved by someone knowledgeable. If you are concerned for your safety, please complete your application for assistance over the telephone by contacting CLS Phone intake 215-981-3700

What we handle

We can assist you only if:

• You have a legal problem that is one of the legal problems we handle. For example, we do not help with criminal matters, parking tickets, Child custody, or immigration matters. See our website for information about our services.
• You live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or you have a case in Philadelphia
• In most cases, we can only assist people if their income is below 125% the federal poverty guidelines. (In some cases we can help people with income up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines..)

For more information, see our our website.

Emergencies, Hearings, deadlines

If you have an emergency or a hearing or deadline in less than 10 days and you need help right away, you should not use this online application. Call Community Legal Services at 215-981-3700. You should also consider calling the Lawyer Referral and Information Service at 215-238-6333, or contact an attorney right away. We may not be able to look at your situation soon enough to help you with an emergency or upcoming hearing or deadline. Even if you talk to an attorney several days before the deadline, the attorney might need more time to prepare, and you might be too late. The amount of time an attorney will need depends on the type of case.

No Guarantee

This application is only a first step in the intake process. Completing the application does not make you a client of Community Legal Services and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Completing the application does not mean that CLS will be able to help you. At the end of the online application, if it appears that you qualify for our services, you will then need to talk to one of our intake workers, who will verify that we may indeed help you.

There are far more people looking for help than CLS can serve. We do our best to provide some assistance to everyone who is eligible, but you may not qualify for services. Some applicants may get an attorney to represent them, while others may get legal advice, a referral, or some other assistance. Decisions about what service can be given are based on resources available and the nature of the individual case. Completing this application DOES NOT entitle you to representation by a lawyer.

If you disagree with Community Legal Services, Inc.’s decision not to represent you, or if you have a complaint about the manner or quality of services provided by CLS staff, you may file a complaint. 

Please note that if your request for legal assistance or your case concerned an issue that is eligible for funding or was funded by the State Department of Human Services (State DHS), you are also entitled to a fair hearing if your request is made to DHS within the applicable deadlines in the Title XX notice.

Using the CLS grievance procedure does not waive (take away) your right to a fair hearing under Title XX/ state-funded services as long as your fair hearing request is made to DHS within the applicable deadlines in your Title XX notice.

Find out about your rights and responsibilities under Title XX.