About Legal Aid for Women
Legal aid in the United States is delivered through Legal Services Corporation (LSC)-funded nonprofits, law school clinics, pro bono panels, and court self-help centers. Most programs serve women at or below 125–200% of the Federal Poverty Level and handle family law, housing, public benefits, immigration, and protective orders. The American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession and the National Women's Law Center supplement local services. For women, the most common legal aid needs are custody, divorce, child support, VAWA-based immigration relief, and DV protective orders — all areas LSC grantees regularly handle. This directory aggregates state legal aid offices, women's legal clinics, and bar referral panels.
14 Resources
Delaware's largest civil legal aid organization, with offices in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown, handling family law, housing eviction defense, public benefits appeals, and disability advocacy for clients under 200% of poverty. Mothers can call 302-575-0660 weekday mornings to start intake; CLASI accepts referrals from DV programs and shelters directly.
302-575-0660 · 100 W 10th St Suite 801, Wilmington, DE 19801 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm · Visit Website
DVLS pairs qualifying mothers with private-bar volunteers who take family law, guardianship, and consumer cases pro bono. Especially valuable for divorces with property, guardianship petitions, and complex custody disputes that fall outside CLASI's caseload. Email info@dvls.org or call 302-478-8680 to apply; financial eligibility is verified at intake.
302-478-8680 · 100 W 10th St Suite 106, Wilmington, DE 19801 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Widener's law school operates teaching clinics in family law, civil, and veterans' law where supervised 3L students represent qualifying clients in real Family Court matters. Clinic openings track the academic calendar and are limited; call 302-477-2100 in late August or January for intake. Located on the Concord Pike campus.
302-477-2100 · 4601 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (semester) · Visit Website
DSBA's referral service connects mothers with member attorneys in family law, criminal, and civil practice. The initial consultation is offered at a flat reduced rate, which makes it easier to scope a case before deciding whether to retain. Call 302-658-5279 weekdays for a match in your county.
302-658-5279 · 405 N King St Suite 100, Wilmington, DE 19801 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Delaware's federally designated protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities. Helps mothers navigating SSI denials, IEP disputes for kids with disabilities, ADA accommodation issues, and discrimination in housing or employment. The Georgetown office at 144 E Market St serves Sussex County; call 302-292-7980 for intake.
302-292-7980 · 144 E Market St, Georgetown, DE 19947 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
LSC is the federally chartered nonprofit that funds CLASI and other civil legal aid programs nationwide. The site's locator confirms which programs serve your ZIP code — useful for Delaware mothers who may also qualify for federal grant-funded programs covering immigration or migrant farmworker issues.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
A nationwide search portal that surfaces the legal-aid offices, pro bono clinics, and self-help resources serving any given county. For Delaware users it routes to CLASI, DVLS, and Widener clinics, and also lists national hotlines for specialized issues like immigration and tribal law.
Nationwide · Online
The ABA's consumer-facing directory of free and reduced-fee legal help, organized by state and issue. Covers pro bono programs, court self-help centers, and law-school clinics — useful for Delaware mothers whose case type (e.g., immigration, employment) isn't a CLASI priority area.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
An online platform that powers many state legal-aid websites and hosts self-help forms, including the document-assembly tools used by DVLS. Mothers preparing pro se filings can use the LawHelp Interactive tools here to generate court-ready paperwork.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Justia's free state-by-state directory of legal aid offices, pro bono panels, and law-school clinics. Useful as a cross-reference when LSC's locator returns gaps in coverage, especially for Sussex County mothers who fall outside CLASI's Wilmington-centered intake pipeline.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Curated by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, this directory lists attorneys and legal-aid groups that specifically handle abuse-related custody, divorce, and protection-order cases. Especially useful for Delaware mothers leaving abusive partners who need both PFA and custody help.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
NCADV's legal section explains state-by-state protection-order law, firearm-surrender rules, and survivor-specific custody considerations. Includes Delaware PFA process summaries that mothers can review before going to Family Court.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Run by Pine Tree Legal Assistance, this site compiles free legal help specifically for veterans and military families: VA benefits appeals, SCRA protections, and discharge upgrades. Delaware mothers who are veterans or military spouses can search by issue and ZIP.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
The Department of Justice's official list of recognized organizations and accredited representatives authorized to practice immigration law, searchable by state. Critical for Delaware mothers who need affordable counsel for asylum, U-visa, VAWA self-petition, or DACA renewal — fields where notario fraud is common.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website