Legal Aid in Portland, OR: Where to Get Help If You Can’t Afford a Lawyer

If you live in Portland and cannot afford a private attorney, several nonprofit legal-aid organizations and community clinics provide free or low-cost civil legal services. These services can help with housing and eviction issues, landlord-tenant disputes, family law, domestic violence protective orders, public benefits and benefits appeals, consumer debt or financial problems, disability or senior-law concerns, and more. (You may upload legal documents to LegalClarity for a plain-English explanation — informational only, not legal advice.)

Major Legal Aid Providers Serving Portland

Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) — Portland Regional Office

What they do: LASO provides full-service civil legal aid to low-income residents of Portland and surrounding counties. Services include housing law (evictions, landlord–tenant disputes, fair housing, unsafe housing, utility shut-offs), family law (divorce, child custody/support, restraining orders, domestic-violence protective orders), public-benefits and government-assistance cases (Oregon Health Plan, SNAP/food stamps, unemployment, SSI/SSDI), consumer/debt issues, elder and senior legal matters, and more.

Who they help: Low-income individuals, families, seniors, people with disabilities — typically those at or under about 125% of the federal poverty level.

Contact: 621 SW Morrison Street, Suite 900, Portland, OR 97205. Phone: (503) 224-4086. Intake hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 9 a.m.–12 p.m. & 1 p.m.–4 p.m.; Wed 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

Oregon Law Center (OLC)

What they do: OLC offers civil-legal assistance for low-income Oregonians in areas including housing, domestic violence, public benefits, employment law, consumer and debt issues, health care access, and more. They serve low-income communities statewide including Portland metro area.

Who they help: Residents struggling to make ends meet — especially low-income people dealing with housing instability, domestic violence, benefit denials, employment issues, or civil-rights problems.

Contact: Find the nearest OLC office at oregonlawcenter.org, or call statewide public-benefits hotline at 1-800-520-5292 for initial screening.

PCC CLEAR Clinic (Portland Community College Legal Clinic)

What they do: The CLEAR Clinic offers limited-scope legal assistance and community-based support including tenant advocacy, housing issues, record-clearing, and other civil-legal representation to help reduce barriers to justice.

Who they help: Low-income and vulnerable individuals in the Portland metro area needing affordable legal support for housing, eviction, public benefits, or record-related issues.

Contact: See their drop-in calendar or contact info at clear-clinic.org.

St. Andrew Legal Clinic (SALC) — Portland / Washington County

What they do: SALC provides low-cost family law services (custody, child support, divorce, domestic violence protective orders, adoptions, guardianship) for low-income families who do not qualify for free legal aid but cannot afford standard attorney fees.

Who they help: Low-income individuals and families, including many who identify as women, people from underrepresented or minority groups, LGBTQIA+, or people with disabilities.

Contact: Phone: (503) 281-1500. Website: salcgroup.org.

Common Civil-Legal Issues Covered in Portland

• Eviction defense, landlord–tenant disputes, unsafe housing conditions, wrongful lockouts or utility shut-offs
• Fair housing and housing discrimination (based on disability, race, source of income, etc.)
• Domestic violence, protective orders, family law (divorce, custody, child support, guardianship)
• Public-benefits problems (SNAP, Medicaid/Oregon Health Plan, unemployment, SSI/SSDI, TANF/GA)
• Debt, consumer protection, benefit appeals, government-assistance issues
• Senior-law and disability-rights issues for low-income or vulnerable residents
• Immigration-related civil issues (for eligible residents, where legal aid providers offer such services — check intake guidelines)
• Record clearing / expungement / barrier-reduction (through clinics like CLEAR), housing stability, eviction prevention

What Portland Legal Aid Usually Cannot Handle

• Criminal defense or traffic-related cases
• Personal injury or malpractice lawsuits
• Business or commercial litigation
• Large or complex high-asset divorces or commercial disputes
• Some specialized legal areas depending on provider capacity (tax law, complex bankruptcy, corporate law, etc.)

When Portland Residents Should Seek Help Immediately

• You receive an eviction notice or court summons regarding housing: Contact LASO or CLEAR Clinic as soon as possible — housing and eviction cases move fast in Portland.
• You face domestic violence, stalking, or need a protective order: Contact LASO or SALC immediately.
• Your public benefits were denied or cut off: Appeal or contact a legal-aid provider quickly to avoid loss of benefits or housing instability.
• You receive debt-collection or garnishment notices: Speed matters — consult with a legal-aid organization right away.
• You are a senior or disabled person facing housing, eviction, benefits, or discrimination issues: Legal-aid organizations such as LASO may be able to help under senior or disability-rights programs.
• You need help clearing criminal record-related barriers, expungement, or housing records: Consider clinics like CLEAR which may offer record-clearing or barrier-reduction services.

How to Prepare Before Contacting Legal Aid

1. Gather documentation: lease or rental agreement, eviction or notice letters, rent payment history or receipts, utility bills, repair requests or correspondence, benefit denial letters or notices, debt or collection letters, court filings if any, IDs and household income/benefits info, disability or senior status documentation if applicable.
2. Create a timeline of events: when notices or communications began, dates of nonpayment or housing issues, benefits denials, harassment, or incidents — helps the legal-aid provider assess urgency and eligibility.
3. Write a brief summary of your situation: 2–3 sentences describing who’s involved, what’s happening, and what outcome you hope for (e.g., eviction defense, protective order, benefits appeal, etc.).
4. Note key risk factors: risk of homelessness, domestic violence, disability or health issues, loss of benefits, immediate court deadlines — these can influence priority and how quickly you need to act.
5. Be ready to talk about income and household size: many legal-aid providers use income thresholds to determine eligibility — having pay stubs, benefit letters, or income statements ready helps on intake.

Alternatives If You Don’t Qualify for Free Legal Aid

• Low-cost or sliding-scale attorneys: Use the Oregon State Bar Modest Means Program or Lawyer Referral Service to find affordable attorneys.
• Community or nonprofit-based clinics: Organizations like St. Andrew Legal Clinic (SALC) or community-law clinics may offer lower-cost family-law and housing-landlord support.
• Self-help resources, forms & guides: Use Oregon Law Help to access free legal information, forms, and guidance for housing, benefits, family law, and more.
• Document review / plain-English explanation tools: If you just need to understand a lease, notice, benefits denial, debt letter, or other document — consider uploading to LegalClarity’s document-explainer for informational (non-advice) guidance.

Conclusion: Where Portland Residents Should Start

If you need civil legal help in Portland and cannot afford a lawyer, start by contacting Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) — Portland Regional Office at (503) 224-4086 and explain your issue. If LASO cannot take your case, consider contacting Oregon Law Center, CLEAR Clinic, or St. Andrew Legal Clinic (SALC) — depending on your needs (housing, family law, benefits, disability, or record-related matters). If you don’t qualify for full representation, explore low-cost attorneys through the Oregon State Bar Modest Means Program or use self-help and plain-language resources like Oregon Law Help or LegalClarity for guidance. Informational help is better than navigating alone — but understand this is not legal advice.