Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get help from the Law Center?
If you have a legal question or problem, and you live in Washington state, you can call us. Law Center volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students will try to answer your questions and direct you to resources that will be helpful.

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I don't have a phone - can you help me?
Unfortunately, we can only help people by phone. If there's a place you can receive calls, we will try to phone you there.  Access to a phone may also be important to reach the resources to which we will refer you.  You may have a relative or advocate call on your behalf, if necessary.

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I've tried to call your phone line, but I can't get an answer. What's going on?
Our free phone line is very busy - thousands of people call us every year, and unfortunately, we cannot answer all the calls. But we do answer as many as possible. Our phone line has voice mail. You can leave a message explaining what your problem is, and we will do our best to call you back. We usually call everyone back at least once, and we try to call until we reach you. You can also order our free materials by leaving a voicemail.

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What if I live in another state?
Most of the resources we have are for Washington. We will try to help you anyway; we just can't promise to have a good referral for you.

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Will the Law Center represent me in my case?
The Law Center takes only cases that will have a public impact - cases that will change the law or will affect a very large number of women. We don't have attorneys to represent women and men in their individual cases. So chances are we will not take your case.

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What if I need help and can't afford an attorney?
Many people today cannot afford to pay for an attorney, so we have put together a long list of other kinds of resources that are free or low cost. We also have memos and forms that can help you represent yourself in some circumstances. We try to help you figure out if you can afford an attorney to help, and if you can, we will provide some referrals to attorneys for you. Otherwise, we'll look for other resources.

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Does the Law Center ever help men?
Yes. Men are welcome to call our Legal Information & Referral telephone line. While most of our callers are women, men also call. And some of our volunteers on the phone line are men.

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Can I send an e-mail with my legal problem and have someone respond?
No. We have found that we need to have a dialog to really help you.  We usually need to ask you a lot of questions to get you the right kind of help. So if you want help with your legal problem, please call our free Legal Information and Referral phone line.

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How can I order one of your books?
The Law Center has written several legal information books, for which we charge a fee.  If you know which book you want, click here for the PDF order form . Download the form, fill it out, and mail it with your payment.  You can also order by phone.

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Does the Law Center take walk-ins?

The Law Center does not take walk-ins.  We do not have a clinic where we meet with clients in person.  We offer free help by phone only.  Our contact information is here.

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Are donations to the Law Center tax-deductible?

The Northwest Women’s Law Center is a 501(c)3 organization, so donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.