Legal Aid in Portland, ME: Where to Get Free or Low-Cost Legal Help

If you live in Portland, Maine — or nearby parts of Cumberland County — and you can’t afford a private lawyer, there are nonprofit, volunteer-attorney, and law-school programs ready to help. This guide explains who offers help, what kinds of cases qualify, and how to get started quickly.

Major Legal Aid & Pro Bono Organizations Serving Portland / Cumberland County

(PTLA)

• Who they help: Low-income individuals and families across Maine, including Portland residents.
• What cases they take: Civil-law matters such as tenant/landlord disputes and unsafe housing, evictions and foreclosure prevention, public benefits (Medicaid/benefits access), debt and consumer issues, domestic violence or abuse protection, tax issues, special-education, and other matters that threaten housing or basic needs.
• How to contact: Call their Portland office at 207-774-8211 (follow prompts for your language if needed).

(VLP)

• Who they help: Low-income Maine residents seeking help with civil legal issues outside or in addition to full-time legal aid.
• What cases they handle: Family law (divorce, custody, child support), bankruptcy, unemployment or benefits law, consumer/debt cases, probate/estate issues, and other civil matters.
• How to contact: VLP runs a statewide intake system — you can start with their hotline / online intake form.

(University of Maine School of Law – Greater Portland area)

• Who they help: Low-income individuals in Portland and surrounding areas who meet financial eligibility and whose issues fit the clinic’s capacity.
• What cases they take: A range of civil (and in some cases juvenile, family, or limited criminal/juvenile) matters handled by supervised law-student attorneys — including representation in court and paperwork assistance.
• How to contact: Call 207-780-4370 (Greater Portland area) or toll-free 877-780-2522 to check for openings.

Free or Low-Cost Clinics & Other Local Help Resources

• (ILAP) — Provides immigration-related legal services statewide, including to Portland-area immigrants and refugees needing support with family-based immigration, asylum, deportation defense, and related civil matters.
• Online & Virtual Help — — Allows qualifying low-income residents to submit civil-legal questions (housing, benefits, family law, debt, etc.) to volunteer attorneys at no cost. Good for quick advice or preliminary guidance.

Common Issues These Programs Can Help With

• Eviction defense, landlord/tenant disputes, unsafe or uninhabitable housing
• Public-benefits access, Medicaid/health-care rights, benefits denials
• Debt or consumer-law problems, debt collection, unfair billing or predatory lending
• Family-law cases: divorce, custody, child support, protective orders, domestic-violence or abuse situations
• Immigration and refugee/immigrant-rights issues (via ILAP)
• Senior or elder-law issues, estate planning, probate, protection from elder abuse (possibly via legal-aid or referral programs)

What Legal Aid in Portland Usually Doesn’t Handle

• Full criminal defense for serious crimes — Most civil-aid programs focus on non-criminal issues such as housing, benefits, debt, family law, and civil rights. For criminal cases, you may need a public defender or court-appointed counsel.
• Complex commercial litigation or corporate-level disputes — Aid organizations serve individuals, low-income families, and vulnerable residents, not large businesses or corporate matters.
• No guarantee of representation or long-term help — Because demand often exceeds capacity, eligible clients may get advice, limited-scope representation, referrals, or help filling out forms — but not every case will get full representation.

How to Prepare Before You Call or Reach Out

• Have proof of income or public-benefits status ready — pay stubs, benefit letters, Medicaid/Medicare documentation, disability/unemployment paperwork, or other proof of financial need (many programs screen based on income).
• Gather any documents related to your issue — lease or rental agreement and any eviction or landlord notices (for housing); benefit or denial letters (for benefits issues); bills, debt-collection or court letters (for debt/consumer issues); court or agency paperwork for family law or domestic-violence cases; immigration documents if relevant.
• Know household and personal information — number of people in your household, dependents, ages, disabilities or special needs, veteran status, address, contact info. This helps with eligibility screening.
• If there’s a deadline (eviction hearing, benefits cutoff, filing deadline, court date), write it down and mention it when you call — urgency may affect whether your case gets priority.
• Prepare a clear summary of what happened — timeline, who’s involved, what you need (housing stability, benefits access, debt relief, protection, immigration help, etc.). Clear, honest info helps intake staff assess your case quickly.

Alternatives If You Don’t Qualify for Full Legal Aid

• Volunteer-attorney help via Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project or other referral services — Even if full legal-aid offices are at capacity or you’re over income limits, pro bono attorneys may still take certain civil matters.
• Self-help tools and court forms via Pine Tree Legal Assistance — Their website offers fillable forms, guides, and instructions for people representing themselves (“pro se”) — useful for housing, benefits, debt, or other civil issues.
• Online legal-question clinics like Maine Free Legal Answers — Good for preliminary legal advice or questions when you just need information or next-step guidance, even if representation isn’t available.
• Law-school clinic (Clinics at Maine Law) when they accept new clients — If accepted, you may receive representation or assistance from supervised law-student attorneys.
• Referral via Maine State Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service — If none of the free aids fit your case, the state bar’s referral service may help you find a modest-fee or private attorney for a consultation.

Key Takeaways

• Portland, ME is served by several strong nonprofit and volunteer-based civil legal-aid providers — especially Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Clinics at Maine Law — that help low-income or vulnerable residents with housing, benefits, debt, family law, immigration, and other civil-legal issues.
• If you face urgent problems — eviction, unsafe housing, benefits denial, debt crisis, domestic-violence, immigration issues — it’s worth reaching out early. Even if full representation isn’t possible, you may get advice, referrals, or help with paperwork.
• If you don’t qualify for free aid — volunteer-attorney services, self-help tools, online clinics, or modest-fee lawyers through referral services are viable alternatives and often better than trying to navigate the system alone.
• Before calling: gather income and household information, relevant documents, any deadlines, and a clear summary of your problem — being prepared makes it easier for legal-aid staff to assess your situation and respond quickly.