Finding Legal Help

If you have a legal need that you believe is impacting your health and are not a patient of one of MLP’s healthcare partners, here are some resources for finding legal help in Washington State:

County Bar Associations in Washington State that offer lawyer referral services (note that lawyer referral services do not provide free legal assistance; rather, participating attorneys may provide an initial consult for a reduced fee):

Attorney Scott Crain with Michelle and Ethan Short

King County Bar Association’s Neighborhood Legal Clinics – the Neighborhood Legal Clinics program offers free, limited legal advice and referrals to King County residents and Washington State residents with legal issues in King County who might otherwise have no access to the legal system.

Free Legal Help for People with Low Income

Northwest Justice Project (NJP) provides free legal help to people with low income who qualify. To contact them:

Call the CLEAR (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral) statewide hotline:
- Outside of King County call 1-888-201-1014
- In King County call 211 and ask for a legal aid provider
Apply online

Benefits Law Center provides legal advice and representation to low income King County residents with disabilities, in matters related to their entitlement to Social Security disability, and SSI benefits.

Eastside Legal Assistance Program provides free legal help to people residing in east King County with low income who qualify. To contact them:

Call 425-747-7274 (English) or 425-620-2778 (Spanish)
Email info@elap.org with your name, phone number and a short description of your legal issue

Solid Ground provides legal help and information to single adults and families whose Washington State benefits have been reduced, terminated, or denied – and those given benefits overpayment notices.

Free Legal Help for Youth (ages 12-24)

TeamChild provides free legal help to young people ages 12-24 in these locations:

King County: call (206) 322-2444 or toll-free (877) 295-2714, or email kinginfo@teamchild.org
Pierce County: call (253) 274-9929 or toll-free (888) 244-5450, or email pierceinfo@teamchild.org
Spokane County: call (509) 323-1166 or toll-free (888) 240-4172, or email spokaneinfo@teamchild.org
Yakima County: call (509) 573-4993 or toll-free (888) 573-4993, or email yakimainfo@teamchild.org

Free Legal Help for People with Disabilities

Disability Rights Washington (DRW) provides legal information, resources, and strategies for disability-related issues. This includes education to people with disabilities. DRW does not screen for income.

Call 206-324-1521, 1-800-562-2702, 711 for Washington Relay Service (TTY).
Access Information Sheets on a range of subjects.

Free Legal Help for Immigration Issues

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project provides legal assistance with immigration issues to low income residents of Washington State.

Free Legal Help to Represent Yourself

WashingtonLawHelp – WashingtonLawHelp is a guide to free civil legal services in Washington State with Do-It-Yourself Forms on many legal topics (Spanish forms). LawHelp Interactive creates completed forms by asking you questions.

Watch this 5 minute video on how to find and use the Do-It-Yourself forms:

“Our mission is to promote better health outcomes by addressing the legal and social needs of patients and families.”

Resources

Finding Legal Help

Testimonials

"Our attorney negotiated for us out of court, and our son now has SSI benefits as well as some in-home care. It is a big relief because now he is getting the care he needs."
MLP Client and parent of middle school student
"Our MLP attorney helped me communicate with the school and they agreed to re-instate the care."
MLP Client and parent of elementary age student
"...the MLP attorney negotiated with the Department of Housing and found us a new place to live, and helped us continue to get our housing voucher."
Tenant rights and protection

Pro Bono

The Washington Medical-Legal Partnership’s goal is to extend its reach to patients and families who may otherwise have no access to the legal system.

Learn about our pro bono work

Learn More

Give To MLP

Your tax-deductible donation of any amount helps fuel our programs. Please specify Washington Medical-Legal Partnership in the ‘Other’ field.

Click to donate online

Donate Online

Allies Not Adversaries: Teaching Collaboration to the Next Generation of Doctors and Lawyers (PDF)

An Asthma Patient’s Best Friend (PDF)

Asthma Crisis in Low-Income Communities of Color (PDF)

Beacon of Hope for Immigrants – The Medical-Legal Partnership (PDF)

Beyond Health Care: New Direction to a Healthier America (PDF)

Childhood Poverty, Chronic Stress, and Adult Working Memory (PDF)

Families’ Health-Related Social Problems and Missed Referral Opportunities (PDF)

The Invisible Battlefield (PDF)

Lawyers and Doctors Working Together – A Formidable Team (PDF)

Legal Care Good for Patients, Good for Hospitals’ Bottom Lines (PDF)

Legal Services Should be a Component of Standard Cancer Care (PDF)

Medical-Legal Partnership Health Care Recovery Dollars (PDF)

Moving Upstream: How Interventions that Address the Social Determinants of Health Can Improve Health and Remove Disparities (PDF)

Social Determinants: Taking the Social Context of Asthma Seriously (PDF)

When Lawyers are Welcomed in Doctors’ Offices

Why Pediatricians Need Lawyers (PDF)

WA MLP White Paper: An Analysis of Financial Benefit to Seattle Children’s Hospital, FY 2015-2017 (PDF)

WA Medical-Legal Partnership Report (PDF)

MLPC Evaluation Report (PDF)
A summary of findings from years one through three. Written by University of Washington School of Social Work; Kate Grossman, M.S.

Maps showing spacial inequality in South King County (PDF)

South King County Medicaid Access Study: Preliminary Findings (PDF)

A Conversation Between Attorneys and Pediatricians (PDF)
A Q&A summary of a conversation between attorneys at Northwest Justice Project in Seattle and local Pediatricians, Dr. Ben Danielson and Dr. Brian Johnston addressing how the two professions can work together to address unmet legal needs of patients and families.

Web Forms – Guardianship Interview, Pleading Documents

Web Form – Social Security: Request for Waiver of Overpayment / Form SSA-632

Legal Resources for Trans and Gender Diverse Communities in Washington State (PDF)

Operational Guidelines for Washington State Medical-Legal Partnerships (PDF)

National Center for MLP
- Toolkit for starting and sustaining your own MLP
- Specific resources for health centers and those caring for veterans

Medical-Legal Partnerships Map

MLP Stakeholder Matrix (DOC)
To build effective coalitions to address social determinants of health, it is critical to understand the current and potential role of community stakeholders from different sectors of society (e.g., government, political, civil society, commercial). The matrix is a tool that you can use to discuss and document the roles of key stakeholders in your community.

WashingtonLawHelp.org
Free legal information and self-help materials that provide information about non criminal legal problems affecting low-income people in Washington state.

Medical + Legal Resources

Direct Legal Assistance

Since 2008, more than 1,440 families (4,600 individuals) benefited from legal intervention to enforce basic human rights, improve health and prevent future health problems. Based in Seattle, Washington, the MLP assists with housing, public benefits, education, immigration, consumer protection, family law and more. Depending on the case, MLP attorneys offer advice and counsel all the way to direct representation.

*This graphic portrays widespread provider feedback about how MLP has freed up their time by managing patient legal needs.

Tools

Web Forms – Guardianship Interview, Pleading Documents

Web Form – Social Security: Request for Waiver of Overpayment / Form SSA-632

Legal Resources for Trans and Gender Diverse Communities in Washington State (PDF)

Operational Guidelines for Washington State Medical-Legal Partnerships (PDF)

National Center for MLP
- Toolkit for starting and sustaining your own MLP
- Specific resources for health centers and those caring for veterans

Medical-Legal Partnerships Map

MLP Stakeholder Matrix (DOC)
To build effective coalitions to address social determinants of health, it is critical to understand the current and potential role of community stakeholders from different sectors of society (e.g., government, political, civil society, commercial). The matrix is a tool that you can use to discuss and document the roles of key stakeholders in your community.

WashingtonLawHelp.org
Free legal information and self-help materials that provide information about non criminal legal problems affecting low-income people in Washington state.

WA MLP Reports

WA MLP White Paper: An Analysis of Financial Benefit to Seattle Children’s Hospital, FY 2015-2017 (PDF)

WA Medical-Legal Partnership Report (PDF)

MLPC Evaluation Report (PDF)
A summary of findings from years one through three. Written by University of Washington School of Social Work; Kate Grossman, M.S.

Maps showing spacial inequality in South King County (PDF)

South King County Medicaid Access Study: Preliminary Findings (PDF)

A Conversation Between Attorneys and Pediatricians (PDF)
A Q&A summary of a conversation between attorneys at Northwest Justice Project in Seattle and local Pediatricians, Dr. Ben Danielson and Dr. Brian Johnston addressing how the two professions can work together to address unmet legal needs of patients and families.

Articles