AccessLine®

Legal Aid of Nebraska provides assistance to low-income and elderly people in civil matters. Eligibility for assistance may be based on income and assets of all members of the household and the legal problem.   In general, you are financially eligible for Legal Aid of Nebraska’s assistance if your household income is no greater than 125% of the federal poverty level and you have limited assets.  Click here to see the income guidelines.  Some exceptions may apply to these guidelines.  If you are age 60 or older, these financial eligibility guidelines may not apply.  

Legal Aid of Nebraska does not handle criminal matters in state or federal court, personal injury or workers’ compensation cases. Legal Aid of Nebraska’s legal services are free; however, clients may be responsible for court costs.

  Legal Aid may assist in cases in the following areas:  

·             Family:  Divorce, Custody, Child Support, Protection Order, Guardianship

·            Consumer:  Bankruptcy, Collections/Garnishments

·            Housing:  Landlord/Tenant , Foreclosure, Homeownership

·            Disability Benefits:  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

·            Public Benefits:  Food stamps/SNAP, Temporary Aid for Needy Families/TANF, Kids Connect, General   Assistance

·            Employment:  Unemployment benefits

·            Health:  Medicaid, Medicare

·            Wills

·        Legal Aid may assist in other types of cases not included in this list.

How can I apply?
You may apply for legal services by completing an application by telephone.  Legal Aid offers three AccessLine® numbers and a Farm Ranch Hotline that take calls from across the state.

AccessLine®  

Toll Free:  877-250-2016

Local: 402-348-1060 (Douglas County) 

Hours: Monday – Thursday    9 am – 3 pm CST

                            Friday    9 am – 11 am CST

For information, hours of operation and income guidelines click here.

Para aplicarse en Español, usted puede llamar al AccessLine® (Línea de Aceso) a 877-250-2016 (marcar el número 2 para hablar con un hispanohablante).

Elder AccessLine®

For applicants who are 60 years of age or older

Toll Free: 800-527-7249

Local: 402-827-5656 (Douglas County)

Hours: Monday – Thursday   9 am – 12 pm CST

            Monday – Thursday    1 pm – 3 pm CST

                             Friday   9 am – 12 pm CST

For information, hours of operation and income guidelines click here.

Native American AccessLine®

For applicants who are Native American and/or have cases in Tribal court

Toll Free: 800-729-9908

Hours: Monday—Friday 9 am – 12 pm CST

For information, hours of operation and income guidelines click here.

Farm Ranch Hotline

For farmers and ranchers

Toll Free: 800-464-0258

Local: 402-648-3457 (Cuming County)

Hours: Monday—Friday 8 am – 5 pm CST

For information click here.

 The application process:

We will take your call as soon as possible. Sometimes, due to call volume, you may have to wait. We apologize for the delay. If all lines are busy, please try to call again later.

We will ask you about all of your household income and assets to see if you are financially eligible for our services. We also ask for personal information such as address, telephone number, marital status, date of birth, and living arrangements. All information is held in confidence.

If you qualify for our services we will ask you about your legal problem in detail. We ask questions to gain a better understanding of your situation. Once we understand your situation we will do our best to help you.  Due to our limited resources, in many cases we provide legal information and advice only.  

Depending on your situation, here is what you might expect:

-        Legal advice over the telephone

-        More detailed information sent to you by mail or email

-        Brief services (e.g., simple legal documents prepared for you)

-        Referral to a Legal Aid staff attorney for legal representation

-        Referral to other agencies or a private attorney for advice or representation

Some tips to make your call more helpful:

-        Call when you won’t be distracted. You will discuss your legal issue and possible solutions in depth during the call.

-        Allow enough time.  We will give you as much time as your problem requires.

-        Please do not take another call or put the call on hold while completing your application. Staff is limited and there are many individuals needing assistance.

-        Please try to have your documents in front of you. It will help us understand your legal problem better. 

-        Have a pen and paper ready when you call. We may give you information over the phone that you will want to write down.

-        Do not be embarrassed to ask any questions or ask to have any legal advice repeated. We will take the time necessary to help you.

It may be our opinion that there is no legal remedy for the problem you called us about. This may not be something you expected to hear.  We will try to provide you with a referral to a place that may be able to help you find a solution to your problem.