ABOUT LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH FLORIDA (LSNF)

 

Legal Services believes that people learn to live together by living together. We support human rights in all aspects of our lives and welcome the richness that diversity brings to our children, our neighborhoods and us.

 

LSNF is dedicated to providing free legal representation to low income people with civil legal problems. Client eligibility is based on financial income and asset guidelines set by the federal government. Cases are also screened based on a variety of factors including case type.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our service area covers the sixteen counties of north Florida: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington Counties.

 

The Administrative Office of LSNF is situated in Tallahassee, Florida. In addition to the Tallahassee Office, there are four branch offices located in Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, Pensacola, and Quincy, Florida. LSNF currently has over 40 employees on staff.

 

Reflecting our commitment to diversity, our multicultural Board of Directors is drawn from a wide spectrum of the community. Our staff  is also multicultural.  Executive Director Kristine Knab has been providing program leadership for over 16 years.

 

2007, marks our 30th year of operation for LSNF.   Our service area is largely rural, with the largest cities being Pensacola and Tallahassee. Our poverty population is 167,000 according to 2000 census. As the financial eligibility for LSNF is currently set at 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, these 167,000 low income people are financially eligible for our services. Program wide, our poverty population is 21% of our general population.

 

LSNF is recognized as a Florida 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization. Donations are accepted and tax deductible. You can view our list of supporters in our annual report.

 

Our Services

 

Priority areas of representation include support for families; preserving the home; maintaining economic stability; safety, stability and health; and serving populations with special vulnerabilities. These translate to cases involving Family Law, Housing, Public Benefits, Employment, Education, and Health Care issues.

 

LSNF offers service delivery in a variety of ways.  In addition to direct representation, we operate private attorney involvement and telephone advice programs, and we conduct legal clinics.

 

The LSNF 2006 Annual Report is available on-line. The report offers an overview of program services, several graphical charts, as well as client stories.

 

· Direct Representation

To apply for services, clients in our sixteen county service area should contact the designated office that serves the county in which they live. Applications are available at designated office locations and may be obtained by fax, mail, or from this site. Once the application is received, each service office holds a weekly case acceptance conference at which eligibility and case assignment is determined. Responses to applications are mailed within the week applications are reviewed. Clients who receive case acceptance letters referring them to volunteer attorneys are required to contact their attorneys to arrange appointments.

 

In some areas of the law, telephone advice is also provided directly over the telephone. Callers seeking legal advice will be required to complete telephone intake applications to determine eligibility prior to talking with an attorney. An intake worker will return telephone messages left by callers to collect this needed information.

 

· Telephone Legal Advice Hotline

Volunteer attorneys in Tallahassee return income eligible client advice calls in family, consumer, and landlord tenant matters every Monday through Thursday from 2 - 5 p.m.

 

· Cases LSNF May Accept

SSI Matters

Welfare Matters

Unemployment Compensation

Dissolution of Marriage

Emergency Actions Involving Spouse Abuse

Education Issues

School Expulsions

Health Care Issues

Health Payment Disputes

Preparation of Documents Including Power of Attorney, Wills, Income Trusts

Subsidized Housing Matters

Evictions

Foreclosures

Bankruptcy

Real Property Matters Including Home Repair Disputes

Probate Actions

Other Civil Matters to the Extent Resources Allow

 

· Legal Clinics

LSNF offers legal clinics for eligible clients wishing to initiate a small claims action, seek answers to elder law matters, and receive legal advice or case representation at designated evening and weekend clinics.

 

Small Claims and Landlord Tenant Clinic

Conducted four times annually, volunteer government and private attorneys assist the general public with answers to questions on how to file small claims actions and landlord tenant issues in Leon. 

 

Senior Citizen Legal Clinic

Conducted seventy-two times annually at three locations, volunteer lawyers help senior citizens with legal advice, legal representation and preparation of various legal forms. Help is available for wills, living wills, healthcare surrogate, probate, estate, consumer, and landlord/tenant matters.

 

Evening Clinics

LSNF Night Clinic - conducted eighteen times annually, government and private volunteer attorneys interview and provide legal advice and client representation to income eligible applicants in most areas of civil law for residents of Franklin, Jefferson, Leon, and Wakulla Counties.

 

First Saturday Weekend Clinic

Conducted twelve times annually, volunteer attorney members of the Bay County Bar Association interview, provide legal advice and client representation in most areas of civil law primarily to residents of Bay County.

 

You can learn more about our services for individuals, industry professionals, and the  community.

Our Mission:

"To provide An Opportunity for Justice for eligible residents through representation conducted efficiently and comparable in quality to that of the private bar, and through other forms of legal assistance designed to provide a full range of civil legal services to those in need."