Justice
Action Group
Statewide Planning
Project
SURVEY
The Justice Action Group
needs your help in identifying barriers to accessing Maine’s civil legal system
for low-income, vulnerable and disadvantaged residents and for those who cannot
obtain a lawyer because they cannot afford one or do not have access to the
assistance of a legal professional for some other reason.
Please take
a moment to answer the questions on the front and back of this survey. Use additional sheets of paper if you need
more space. Please feel free to copy
this survey and to share it with others you think might be interested in
filling it out. If you have already returned this survey, please do not submit another
form.
1.
Please
check all of the following you believe to be problems experienced by people in
accessing Maine’s civil legal system:
ð
Lack
of awareness that they have a legal problem
ð
Lack
of awareness of the availability of legal aid
ð
Over
income for legal aid but lack money for private attorney
ð
Financially
qualified for legal aid, but told legal aid cannot assist
ð
Limited
pro bono resources
ð
Lack
of awareness of alternatives to full representation by an attorney
ð
Lack
of ability to find or use self-representation tools
ð
Lack
of local legal aid office
ð
Limitation
of legal aid office hours
ð
Inability
to read/understand and respond to legal documents
ð
Lack
of transportation to reach assistance
Phone lines are busy
ð
Absence
of toll-free number
ð
Lack
of physical accessibility or accommodations for the disabled
ð
Lack
of translators or interpreters
ð
Immigration
status poses barriers to accessing assistance
ð
No
agency offers free or low cost assistance with the following legal issues (please
list):
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ð
Lack
of resources for self-representation on the following legal issues:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ð
Please
list others: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
Please check each legal problem that you consider
significant in your area of Maine, or among low-income or vulnerable people of
whom you are aware:
ð Don’t know ð Not Applicable
ð
Debt
collection (including court hearings and/or phone harassment)
ð
Federal
taxes (filing or getting the earned income credit or refund check, etc.)
ð
State
taxes (filing or getting refund, etc.)
ð
Bankruptcy
ð
Getting
phones/heat/electricity installed or disconnected because of credit problems
ð
Consumer
purchase/sales agreement that didn’t work out as expected
ð
Problems
with an auto purchase or repair
ð
Educational
services for a child (including discipline or special ed)
ð
Job
problems (hiring, firing, getting paid the right amount or on time,etc.)
ð
Problems
with work-related injury and/or workers compensation
ð
Problems
getting unemployment compensation
ð
Child
visitation, custody or child support
ð
Enforcing
the terms of a court order on divorce or parental rights
ð
Dealing
with DHS on child support collection
ð
A DHS
notice about child abuse substantiation
ð
Getting
needed medical services for a parent or child
ð
Living
in unsafe housing
ð
Paying
property taxes on a home
ð
Problems
with a landlord (including evictions)
ð
Discrimination
in housing, work or accommodation
ð
Getting
or keeping welfare benefits (TANF, food stamps, SSI, Medicaid, MaineCare etc.)
ð
Getting
or keeping veteran’s benefits
ð
Being
sued by someone
ð
Divorce
ð
Immigration
issues (work permits, green cards, deportation defense)
ð
Impact
of crimes on immigration status
ð
Juvenile
justice
ð
Domestic
violence
ð
Others
(please describe):
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
Please list any special difficulties or barriers
not covered in the previous sections:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Please
list any solutions or strategies you can think of which will alleviate these
barriers to accessing Maine’s civil legal system:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Town:___________________________ Role:____________________________________
(lawyer,
judge, social worker, etc.)
Name
_____________________________ e-mail
_______________________________
(optional)
_____ Check here and provide your name and e-mail if you
would like to be kept informed about the planning process.
Surveys can be returned to: Sally Sutton, Justice Action Group, P.O. Box 2460, South Portland, ME
04116-2460; e-mailed to jag@maine.rr.com
– (put JAG Planning Survey in the subject line) or faxed to Maine Bar Foundation:
623-4140.