Legal Aid of West Virginia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable residents across the state. Specializing in a wide range of critical legal issues, it stands out for its commitment to ensuring equal access to justice through direct representation, advocacy, and community education.
The organization employs a holistic, client-centered approach, addressing not only immediate legal needs but also underlying social determinants like housing stability, health access, and economic security. With programs tailored to assist veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and survivors of abuse, Legal Aid of West Virginia focuses on empowering clients to overcome systemic barriers and achieve lasting solutions.
Services Offered
- Attorney representation and legal advice
- Domestic violence and abuse advocacy
- Divorce, separation, and annulment
- Child custody and parenting plans
- Adoption, foster care, and kinship care services
- Guardianship and conservatorship
- Paternity cases
- Abuse and neglect representation
- Personal safety orders
- Eviction defense and renting/leasing issues
- Homeownership and buying assistance
- Housing discrimination cases
- Problems with living conditions
- Utilities, energy, and heating issues
- Food and cash benefits advocacy
- Health coverage benefits assistance
- Social Security Disability Benefits claims
- Mental health and behavioral health advocacy
- Substance Use Disorder Recovery support
- Disability reasonable accommodation
- Veterans services
- Child support cases
- Debt and lending money issues
- Bankruptcy counseling
- Credit practices and credit report disputes
- Wage protection and wage issues
- Unemployment compensation claims
- Wrongful discharge assistance
- Family leave rights
- Car payment issues
- Contract disputes
- Financial exploitation prevention
- Tax-related legal help
- Special education advocacy (FAST program)
- School attendance issues
- Paying for education assistance
- Expungement services
- Driver’s license issues
- Traffic and parking ticket disputes
- Disaster relief assistance
- Rebuilding after disaster
- Replacing lost documents
- Insurance claims after disaster
- Long-Term Care Advocacy (Ombudsman)
- Behavioral Health Advocacy program
- Adult Advocacy Services
- Resource library and legal information
- Renters rights education
- Kinship Connector Tool support
- Justice on the Move mobile services
Serving all 55 counties in West Virginia, the organization offers assistance in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Its integrated programs—Legal Services, Behavioral Health Advocacy, and Long-Term Care Ombudsman—work collaboratively to address complex, overlapping challenges faced by clients.
