WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR CALL TO THE HELPLINE

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services operates its Helpline Monday through Friday from 9 am – 3 pm. To reach the Helpline, you can call 501-376-3423 or submit an online application at www.arkansaslegal.org. Helpline provides legal counsel and advice. The helpline gives the first steps needed to find out if our program will be able to give extra help. We help with things such as looking over legal forms and putting together court documents. We represent in choice makings or court hearings. 

Process of calling the Helpline

First, you'll have to answer questions from one of our Intake Specialists. You will answer questions such as how many people are in your household and how much money you make.  These questions may seem personal, but our program is run by different grants. These grants require our program to keep this type of data. Your information is secure in our system that isn't shared. If you do not qualify for our help, the Specialist will do their best to help you to other legal sources.

Interview the Issue

If you are eligible for help from our program, you will be interviewed by one of our Helpline Attorneys. This is where you will get a chance to give details of your problem.  The Helpline Attorney will listen to your facts and then let you know what area of the law in which your issue falls. You can call and let us know that you hired someone to fix your leaky roof. After the work, your roof still leaks, the Helpline Attorney will let you know that you have a contract issue. Another example is if you need custody of your grandchild, the Helpline attorney would advise you that you have a guardianship problem. 

Curing the Issue

Once the issue has been stated, the attorney will give you advice on how to take certain actions. Such as if you have been served a lawsuit, Helpline will guide you on how to file an answer to the lawsuit in order to stop the other side from getting what’s called a default judgment. The helpline will provide you with general information on how your facts may apply to the law at issue. So, it will be important that you listen to the Helpline Attorney’s questions and answer them as completely as possible. For example, in the case above, the Helpline Attorney will get more facts. They will get things like writings that spell out your agreement with the roofer. The attorney will ask the date that the roof repair agreement was made and the agreed price. These questions will help the Attorney guide you on if you have a legal argument and the possible answers in ending the argument. In this example, if you and the roofer agreed three months ago that all repairs would be completed that week for the sum of $1000, then the Helpline would help you on how to file a small claims action for a breach of contract.

They will also provide other community people who may help with your issue.  We have found that many times, legal assistance is needed, but other groups can also help with the situation. In certain means, your issue may need more than advice from our program.  The Helpline Attorney has certain rules used to determine when a case is sent to our extra service team for more services. If your case is referred for follow-up, you will be notified in a timely manner as to what other services our program can provide.

AUTHOR: ZINA FRAZIER, DIRECTOR OF INTAKE & ACCESS FOR THE CENTER FOR ARKANSAS LEGAL SERVICES