Free and Low-Cost Legal Resources in Utah

• The Utah Online Court Assistance Program (OCAP) is the official State of Utah website for assistance in preparing court documents if you are not able to have an attorney draft them for you. You may use this program for free. If you file OCAP documents on a case requiring a filing fee, a $20.00 document preparation fee will be added to the court filing fees. This program is a service of the Utah Courts and State Legislature. The types of cases available using OCAP are: domestic cases, enforcing domestic orders, guardian and conservatorship, garnishment, protective/stalking orders, landlords and tenants, and small claims. 

• https://www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/CJC/fjc.asp
• Utah County Health & Justice Building, 151 S. University Ave., Provo, Room 1600
• 801-851-8508
• The FJC is a free walk-in clinic comprised of volunteer attorneys and law students. The clinic is open every Tuesday night from 5:00pm–8:00pm. No appointment is needed. Bring any relevant court documents with you, and be prepared for a wait. The FJC primarily handles family law issues, but it also works with elder law topics and answers basic questions regarding low-income housing. Immigration help is also available during the first and third Tuesdays of every month. The Family Justice Center offers services from the Department of Workforce Services, Community Action Services and Food Bank, Provo City Housing Authority, Victim Advocates, Utah Legal Services, Division of Child and Family Services, and Wasatch Behavioral Health, The Refuge, and Community Health Connect. (Other useful resources can be found on the FJC's website.) To be eligible, your income must be below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, which are available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines.

• https://www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/CJC/fjc.asp

• Utah County Health and Justice Building Room 1601, 151 S. University Ave., Provo, Utah 84601

• 801-851-8508

• tlcinfo@timplegal.org

• The TLC is a free walk-in clinic that is a part of the Utah County Family Justice Center (FJC) and is composed of volunteer attorneys and law students. There is also a Zoom version of this clinic that happens at the same time. The center provides services for divorce, custody, or family law related issues; immigration; housing; and elder law. Clients are helped on a first-come-first-served basis. No appointment is necessary. Immigration questions can only be taken on the first, second, and third Tuesdays of the month. The Family Justice Center offers services from Community Action Services and Food Bank, Provo City Housing Authority, Victim Advocates, Division of Child and Family Services, Wasatch Behavioral Health, The Refuge, and Community Health Connect. The center prefers that new clients come in person to the center, as opposed to contacting the center by phone. The center is open every Tuesday night from 5:00pm–8:00pm, except the week of Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. To be eligible to utilize the center's services, your income must be below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or you must be a victim of domestic violence or have children who are victims of abuse. (The guidelines are available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines.)

• https://www.timplegal.org/legal-services/document-clinic/

• 801-649-8895 Call this Hotline between 9:00am and 2:00pm to get legal advice and assistance in applying for the document clinic.

• Send an email to tlcinfo@timplegal.org or julene@timplegal.org requesting intake forms to see if you are eligible for the document clinic.

• The TLC document clinic provides assistance (by appointment only) for drafting documents for qualifying self-represented clients. You may either fill out intake forms after they are emailed to you or receive help filling them out on Tuesdays from 5:00pm–8:00pm at the Family Justice Center, located at the Utah County Health and Justice Building.

• The requirements for receiving assistance are: 

  • the legal issue must relate to family law;

  • you must be representing yourself in court (you don't have an attorney); 

  • you must meet our income/screening guidelines,

  • you must fill out the intake form to  be screened to see if your case is something we can assist with (you can either call our hotline or attend our weekly clinic);

• After the intake forms are sent to the TLC, a response is sent informing you as to whether or not you have been approved to receive assistance. Approved clients will have a virtual meeting set up with an attorney who can assist in drafting court documents.

• Utah Legal Services provides legal help to those who qualify in non-criminal cases. They answer questions, give advice, prepare legal documents and represent clients in court and before administrative agencies. They cannot assist in any criminal matters. They have offices all over the state. Currently, they can help with the following issues: family law, public benefits assistance, housing, consumer issues, seniors, agricultural workers, Native American Indian Law, bankruptcy, QDROs and guardianship. You can apply online or call the phone number for the office. They work primarily remotely, so call to schedule an appointment. Check their website for updates. https://www.utahlegalservices.org/contact 
• Utah Legal Services - St George Office
  • Address:  229 E. St George Blvd, Ste. 103, St George, UT 84770 (get Directions)
  • Phone:  (435) 628-1604
• Utah Legal Services - Provo Office
  
  • Address:  455 N University Ave, Ste. 100, Provo, UT 84601 (get Directions}
  • Phone:  (801) 374-6766
• Utah Legal Services - Ogden Office
  • Address:  298 24th St, Ste. 110, Ogden, UT 84401 (get Directions)
  • Phone:  (801) 394-9431
• Utah Legal Services - SLC Office
  • Address:  960 S Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-2923 (get Directions)
  • Phone:  (801) 328-8891

The services of this clinic are available to youth under the age of 23 who are experiencing homelessness. Eligible persons can email uinise.tu'avao@voaut.org or stop by their office M-F from 9-5. This clinic provides consultations, representation and education to help youth become independent. They can help individuals obtain and maintain employment and housing. https://www.voaut.org/yrclegal

• Matheson Courthouse, Third District Salt Lake
• 801-214-3109 (Heather Lester)
• heather.lester@utahca.org 
• Mediation services for landlord-tenant legal issues are provided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1:30pm. Contact Heather Lester by phone (leaving only one message) or by email. This program does not resolve rent disputes or deal with rental assistance.  

• Horizonte School, in the cafeteria, 1234 South Main Street, Salt Lake City
• This clinic is part of the SJ Quinney Law School Pro Bono Initiative. They can answer questions relating to housing issues (landlord/tenant disputes and eviction), employment (discrimination, termination and harassment), consumer, and small claims. They have two in-person locations, Columbus Center and at Horizonte, see their online calendar at the website below for dates of these clinics. They also have limited online appointments, email  probono@law.utah.edu. 
  

• Individuals must first fill out a form to determine whether they qualify to use this service. If they qualify, users are allowed to ask attorneys questions about their civil legal questions (no criminal matters). Questions are answered by pro bono attorneys in Utah. The service helps with questions in: family law, housing, eviction, homelessness, consumer rights, financial, employment, health/disability, civil rights, juvenile and education law. This program is sponsored by the American Bar Association’s committee on pro bono and public service. https://utah.freelegalanswers.org/

• https://www.utcourts.gov/en/self-help/categories/housing/landlord.html
• This website, created and maintained by the Utah State Courts, lists some Utah laws involving landlords and tenants, including the following: eviction (including a flowchart of the eviction process), abandoned premises, deposit refunds, and tenants' personal property.

• This website breaks down Utah landlord tenant law into plain English for new renters. The website intends to update and expand the information regularly.

• This hyperlink is to a PDF containing information about Utah housing, as well as landlord-tenant legal issues.

• 801-297-7049 (Generally, someone is available from 8:00am–5:00pm to answer any questions over the phone about how the program works.)
• probono@utahbar.org
• As part of the Bar’s Affordable Attorneys for All initiative, the Modest Means Lawyer Referral program helps Utahns with modest earnings find a lawyer offering discounted rates to match their incomes. The Utah State Bar's Modest Means Lawyer Referral Program provides access to legal representation for people whose income is too high to qualify for free legal services, but too low to pay a lawyer's standard rate. In order to qualify you must fall below the income guidelines. If you qualify, you will be referred to a lawyer who charges up to $50 or $75 an hour, or a corresponding flat fee. Hourly or flat-fee services often require advance payment (a retainer).  The application is separated into two parts: 1st to see if you qualify and 2nd for questions about you and your situation (there is a $25 non-refundable administrative fee. Payment for this online purchase must be made using VISA or MASTERCARD.).