Legal+Aid

=DEBT MANAGEMENT=

[|Apprisen Debt Management Program]
Pierce County Office: 3560 Bridgeport Way W, Suite 1-D University Place, WA 98466 (253) 588-1858

Credit Karma
Online resource for monitoring or rebuilding your credit score. Offers recommendations and links to your credit report and to other resources to get started on the road to better credit. Must create account to log in. Credit Karma's [|Credit Advice Center]  is full of answers to the tough credit questions. Crowd source the knowledge of Credit Karma's millions of members to [|get the advice you need.]

[|Free Credit Report]
This central site allows you to request a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

[|Money Matters]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, created this website to help people face money issues head-on.

[|Interest Waiver Guide]
How to Obtain a Court Order Waiving or Reducing Interest on Legal Financial Obligations.

=**GENERAL LEGAL RESOURCES**=

=**Columbia Legal Services**= Re-entry Clinic: Resources to address the legal needs of people with criminal histories. Contact: 206.287.8625 Email: alex.bergstrom@columbialegal.org Services: Columbia Legal Services advocates for people who face injustice and poverty. We seek to achieve social and economic justice for all, using policy reform, litigation, and innovative partnerships to reveal and end actions that harm the communities we serve.

[|Court Facilitator – Pierce County Superior Court]
930 Tacoma Avenue South in Tacoma.
 * Contact:** 253-798-3627
 * Services:** assistance in filling out forms and following court procedures. Call for appointment. $10 fee per visit.

Northwest Justice Project (NJP)
715 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98402
 * Contact:** 253.272.7879
 * Services:** Washington’s publicly funded legal aid program. Civil legal assistance and representation for low-income people in cases affecting family safety and security, housing preservation, protection of income, access to health care, education and other basic needs.

CLEAR Line (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral Service)
Mondays - Fridays 9:30 am – 12:15 pm; Tuesdays 3:30 pm – 6:15 pm
 * Contact:** 1-888-201-1014
 * Services:** Telephone assistance on civil (non-criminal) matters; Requires income eligibility and non-King County residence.
 * CLEAR Senior**
 * Contact:** 1-888-387-7111
 * Services:** Telephone assistance on civil (non-criminal) matters; No income requirement, but over age 60 requirement.

Volunteer Legal Services Program in Pierce County
A program of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association 621 Tacoma Ave S, suite 303, Tacoma WA 98402 Legal clinics for 1/2 hour consultations on civil (non-criminal) issues by appointment only. Web site offers instructions on a range of family law matters through PowerPoint presentations. Best to access the site using Internet Explorer. Also provides information on landlord tenant issues from the tenants’ perspective.
 * Contact:** 253-572-5134
 * Services:** Referral to volunteer attorney, if available
 * Re-licensing legal clinic**: Have you lost your driver’s license due to too many traffic tickets or other legal issues? Call to check on next available clinic.

[|Tacoma-Pierce County Housing Justice Project]
[|PDF: Housing Justice Resource Guide]
 * Contact:**(253) 572-5134 or vls@tacomaprobono.org
 * Services:** basic information about your legal rights and obligations under Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant law

**[|TeamChild]**
Advocacy for youth in juvenile justice system. Pierce County Office __253-798-7982 __ King County Main Office __206-322-2444 __

**[|My Service Mind]**
Legal clinic for ½ hour consultations – Korean and Russian language interpretation, by appointment only. __253-584-5615 __

[|Washington Law Help]
Assists low-Income people in Washington find solutions to civil legal problems. Offers self-help information and forms on a variety of legal subjects.

Pierce County Superior Court
website with a variety of information pertaining to Pierce County cases, including access to case documents on LINX, hearing dates and locations, list of parenting classes, etc.

Washington State court forms
Access to .doc and .pdf versions of mandatory and suggested Washington court forms.

=Accessing Criminal Records=

[|Criminal History Records (Washington State)]
Washington State Patrol Identification and Criminal Histories Section 360.705.5100 for information about criminal record history maintained by the WSP.



[|Washington Courts]
Services: Free Name Search An index of cases filed in the municipal, district, superior, and appellate courts of the state of Washington. This index can point you to the official or complete court record.

=Expunging Criminal Records=

[|A guide to sealing and destroying court records]
Vacating convictions, and deleting criminal history records. State of Washington, August 2010

[|Myths and facts about criminal expungements]
and certain criminal case dismissals. The Law Offices of Richard Hanus, June 1, 2011

[| Sealing Juvenile Court Records]
A guide on how to seal a juvenile court record. This does not happen automatically at age 18 - you must actively seek to have the records sealed.

[|Free Legal Help]
The sealing/vacating process is a nine-step process.

[|Northwest Women's Law Center publication]
Explains rights and options you have and what procedures you must use to clear or limit access to your criminal record by others.

Second Chances
ACLU of Washington’s Criminal Records Project Intake and referral line at 206-624-2180 Assistance or information and referrals for individuals looking to clear their criminal histories or those who have been wrongly denied a job or home based on a criminal record.You may also access services/referrals through the ACLU [|online Criminal Records intake form]. = = =**Other Internet Resources**= =**Disability Rights Washington **= Contact: 1.800.562.2702 Email: info@dr-wa.org Services: Provides free advocacy services for the disabled and mentally ill in Washington State.

[|Landlord Tenant Rights]
Washington State Bar Association

Reinstate Your Driver's License
Washington State Department of Licensing online service Enter your personal information and the system generates a list of the court issues and state requirements needing to be resolved prior to your license being reinstated as well as contact information for each item.