Free clinic for legal advice planned May 19 in Kennewick

Do you need legal advice, but just can’t come up with the money to meet with an attorney?

A free clinic is being offered May 19, with at least 13 Tri-City lawyers volunteering their time for the three-hour event.

Barb Otte, executive director of the Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society, said the state’s Civil Legal Needs Study has found “that in the rural areas, especially in Eastern Washington, the gap is huge still for low-income clients to get the help they need in court.”

That includes people in the rural areas of Benton and Franklin counties not getting needed help, especially with the average lawyer charging $150 to $250 for the first 30 minutes of legal advice, she said.

The clinic will be from 5-8 p.m. at United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties, 401 N. Young St., Kennewick.

Spanish interpreters will be available to help clients.

“We’re testing it out to see if it goes really well,” Otte said. “If a lot of people do show up, we want to try to do this either on a quarterly basis or a couple of times a year.”

The attorneys will answer legal questions and provide limited representation and advice on a variety of topics, including: family law; immigration and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applications; landlord/tenant; criminal defense; auto accidents and personal injury law; contracts; collections; elder law; wills; and court fines.

It is sponsored by Legal Aid, and Anderson Law and Ashby Law, both of Kennewick.

To make an appointment and guarantee a time slot with an attorney, call 509-221-1824.

Walk-ins are welcome, but will be seen after appointments and on a first-come, first-served basis.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Free clinic for legal advice planned May 19 in Kennewick."