Reduced-Fee Services

Lower Cost Legal Help

Civil Justice Inc. (410-706-0174; 1-866-48CIVIL) is a Maryland non-profit corporation that maintains the Civil Justice Network, a free lawyer referral service.  Clients are referred to Maryland solo and small firm attorneys who provide legal services at reduced costs in a broad range of practice areas.

Most of the county bar associations with lawyer referral services have reduced fee panels.  When you call the county bar association for a referral, ask if it has a reduced fee panel.  Most reduced fee panels are based on income, but some are based on case type.  For example, the Prince Georges County Bar Association has a reduced fee panel for criminal cases, but not for domestic.  For the reduced fee panel based on income, each individual bar association has its own eligibility screening to determine if your income entitles you to the reduced fee.

Remember that the attorneys reduce their fees based on their “usual” rate and that the “usual” rate will vary among attorneys. For example, one attorney’s usual rate may be less than another attorney’s reduced rate. 

"Limited Scope" representation:

It’s always good to have more help, rather than less.  However, in some situations, a lawyer may be willing to help you with part of a problem or case instead of the entire process.

Read more:  Limited Scope legal help

Is this legal advice?

This site offers legal information, not legal advice.  We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information and to clearly explain your options.  However we do not provide legal advice - the application of the law to your individual circumstances. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.  The Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, sponsors this site.  In the absence of file-specific attribution or copyright, the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library may hold the copyright to parts of this website. You are free to copy the information for your own use or for other non-commercial purposes with the following language “Source: Maryland's People’s Law Library – www.peoples-law.org. © Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, 2024.”