At some point in time almost everybody will need legal advice. Unfortunately many people are unable to afford the services of a lawyer. That makes them vulnerable to being exploited since they are unable to seek the protection they are supposed to afford by the law. For this reason there are a number of legal aid societies to help low income earners to get legal representation. In most cases the first point of contact will be a legal aid social worker.
The main job of a social worker in legal aid is to help people to find the legal representation that they need. Lawyers are very expensive and many people do not have the resources to pay for the legal assistance that they need. There are a number of legal aid societies to help low income earners to get a lawyer. However in order to qualify for one of these programs you will need to meet a number of criteria. The legal aid social worker will interview you and asses your situation to determine what if any kind of assistance you qualify for.
The most obvious example of legal aid is for people who have been arrested and can't afford a lawyer to defend them. This is the most straightforward form of legal aid to get. If you meet the income criteria you will be appointed a lawyer by the court. This is because all defendants in a criminal trial are entitled to legal representation. There are a number of other situations where somebody may need a lawyer that they can't afford that a legal aid social worker can help them with.
The area where social work in legal aid really comes into its own is when a person needs a lawyer for something other than a criminal trial. Unfortunately people with low incomes are often taken advantage of specifically because they can't afford to hire a lawyer. This would include things like illegal rent increases, not paying overtime wages or not providing benefits to people who are injured on the job. There is a long list of ways that low income earners can be taken advantage of. Many people will do just this because they know that these people have little recourse. This is where legal aid can really help people out. It provides lawyers to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them so that they can get the protection they are entitled to.
In many cases the people who need the services of legal aid are mentally ill or disabled. In many cases this makes it difficult to find a lawyer or to fill out the required paperwork to qualify for legal aid. In many cases people won't even know where to go for help. A legal aid social worker can help steer them to the right place and to get the required paperwork filled out so that they can get the lawyer they need.