indianalegalhelp.org

Indiana Legal Help organizes its legal topics into six main categories: Housing; Family and Safety; Money and Estate; Military, Immigration, and Employment; Driving and Expungement; and Other Legal Issues. If your question falls under one of these categories, the site is designed to point you toward information, forms, and sometimes free advice. The site states that "there are services in every county," and you can enter your zip code or select your county to get started.

The Six Main Legal Topic Categories

The homepage groups topics so you can pick the one that "best fits your question or situation." Here is what each category covers based on the site's own listings.

Housing

• Foreclosure
• Rent and Eviction

Family and Safety

• Adult Guardianship
• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Contempt
• Divorce
• Domestic Violence / Protection Order
• Minor Child Guardianship
• Name Change
• Parenting Time
• Paternity
• Relocation
• Plus additional subtopics (the site shows "+6" beyond those listed)

Money and Estate

• Debt
• Estate

Military, Immigration, and Employment

• Discrimination at Work
• Immigration
• Military and Veteran Assistance

Driving and Expungement

• Driving
• Expungement

Other Legal Issues

• Consumer Issues

How to Choose the Right Topic

Start with the category that matches your situation, not the legal label. A few examples:

• Facing removal from your home → Housing → Rent and Eviction
• Ending a marriage → Family and Safety → Divorce
• Being sued for unpaid money → Money and Estate → Debt
• Fired or treated unfairly at work → Military, Immigration, and Employment → Discrimination at Work
• Trying to clear a criminal record → Driving and Expungement → Expungement

If your issue spans categories (for example, a divorce that also involves debt), check both topic pages rather than assuming one covers everything.

What You Get on a Topic Page

Topic pages are the entry point to information and forms. Beyond the topic listings, the site provides:

• Information and Forms — a dedicated section for documents and guidance
• Commonly Used Forms — including Contempt, Continuance, Fee Waiver, Virtual Hearing, and Appearance forms
• After a Case Is Filed — information you may need once a case is in court
• Filing Fee FAQ and Service FAQ — answers on filing costs and how to serve court forms
• Indiana County Court Local Rules — local rules by county
• Glossary of Legal Terms — definitions to help you understand terms used on the site

If Your Question Isn't Covered by a Topic Page

Two other routes exist on the site:

• Free Legal Answers — the site describes this as a way to email an attorney for free legal advice if you have a legal question.
• Calendar of Events — attend an upcoming clinic to speak with an attorney.

Both are aimed at self-represented litigants. As the site's managing attorney puts it, "Many low-income Hoosiers are unable to afford an attorney. Indiana Legal Help is a great place for self-represented litigants to find easy to use resources that will help them gain access to courts."

Quick Check Before You Dig In

1. Identify your category from the six above.
2. Open that topic page and scan the subtopics for your exact situation.
3. Check the Information and Forms section for documents you may need.
4. If you still have a question, use Free Legal Answers or find a clinic under Events.
5. Confirm any county-specific rules using the Indiana County Court Local Rules link.

Indiana Legal Help (indianalegalhelp.org) is a statewide portal for connecting Hoosiers to free or low-cost legal services. To find help in your county, go to the site and use the "Get Legal Help" tool: enter your ZIP code or select your county from the list. The site states that there are services in every Indiana county, so you should get a result no matter where you live.

Step-by-Step: Finding Help by Location

1. Open the homepage. The main heading is "Helping Hoosiers Find Legal Help," with a prompt to enter your ZIP code or select your county.
2. Enter your ZIP code or pick your county. Either method routes you to services in your area.
3. Click "Get Legal Help." This is the entry point that takes you from the location prompt to your local results.
4. Review what comes back. Results point you to legal service providers and resources serving your county.

If you are not sure which county you are in or you are helping someone else, the ZIP code option is usually faster.

What You Can Find Once You're In

The site organizes help by legal topic, so you can match your situation to the right resource. Main topic areas include:

Other Ways to Get Help on the Site

Beyond the county search, Indiana Legal Help offers several direct routes to assistance:

• Free Legal Answers – Submit a legal question by email and receive free legal advice from an attorney.
• Calendar of Events – Attend an upcoming clinic where you can speak with an attorney in person.
• Information and Forms – Access commonly used forms, including Contempt, Continuance, Fee Waiver, Virtual Hearing, and Appearance forms.
• Quick Links – Find answers on filing fees, how to serve court forms, and what to do after a case is filed.
• County Court Local Rules – Review the local rules for your specific Indiana county.
• Glossary of Legal Terms – Look up unfamiliar legal terms used on the site.

If You Need a Lawyer to Represent You

The site also has a Pro Bono Opportunity Guide for legal professionals, which connects volunteers to clinics and cases by location and area of interest. If you are a self-represented litigant, the site is designed primarily to help you find resources and navigate the courts on your own — as the site's managing attorney notes, many low-income Hoosiers cannot afford an attorney, and the site aims to give self-represented litigants easy-to-use resources for court access.

Common Questions

Does every county have services? Yes — the site states there are services in every county.

Is there a cost? The site describes Free Legal Answers as free legal advice and lists free clinics, but it does not state that all services are free. Check each provider's details before assuming there is no cost.

What if I don't know my legal topic? Start with the location search, then browse the topic list to find the closest match to your situation.

Indiana Legal Help (indianalegalhelp.org) is a statewide online resource that helps Indiana residents — referred to on the site as Hoosiers — find legal services and information. It is aimed primarily at low-income residents and people representing themselves in court (self-represented litigants). The site is available in both English and Spanish and organizes its content around two main actions: finding local help and reading up on a legal topic.

What the site offers

The homepage is built around a small set of entry points, each pointing to a different kind of help:

• Get Legal Help — the main starting point. You enter your zip code or select your county, and the site directs you to services available in that area. According to the site, there are services in every Indiana county.
• Legal Topics — a browsable menu of subject areas, each linking to information and forms.
• Free Legal Answers — an option to email an attorney for free legal advice if you have a legal question.
• Calendar of Events — a schedule of upcoming clinics where you can speak with an attorney in person.
• Quick Links — commonly used resources, including forms and answers to procedural questions.
• Volunteer Opportunities for Legal Professionals — a separate path for attorneys and legal professionals who want to volunteer.

Legal topics covered

The Legal Topics section groups issues into broad categories, with more specific pages underneath each. The categories listed on the site are:

The Family and Safety category is the most granular, with additional subtopics beyond those shown in the table.

Quick Links and self-help materials

The Quick Links area is aimed at people who already have a case or are preparing to file one. It includes:

• Commonly Used Forms — including Contempt, Continuance, Fee Waiver, Virtual Hearing, and Appearance forms.
• After a Case Is Filed — information you may need once a case is with the court.
• Filing Fee FAQ and Service FAQ — answers to common questions about filing fees and how to serve court forms.
• Indiana County Court Local Rules — local rules for your specific Indiana county.
• Glossary of Legal Terms — definitions to help you understand terminology used across the site.

Who it is for

The site describes its audience as low-income Hoosiers who cannot afford an attorney, along with self-represented litigants who need accessible resources to navigate the courts. A managing attorney quoted on the site frames it as a place for self-represented litigants to find easy-to-use resources that help them gain access to courts.

If you are a legal professional rather than someone seeking help, the site routes you to a separate Pro Bono Opportunity Guide, where you can find volunteer opportunities by location and area of interest.

How to start

1. Go to indianalegalhelp.org.
2. Enter your zip code or select your county under Get Legal Help to see services near you.
3. If you already know your issue, browse Legal Topics instead and pick the category that fits.
4. If you have a specific question, use Free Legal Answers to email an attorney, or check the Calendar of Events for a clinic near you.
5. Switch to Spanish at any point using the language toggle if that is easier for you.

One practical note: the site is a directory and information hub, not a law firm. It connects you to services, forms, and answers, but the legal help itself comes from the providers and attorneys it points you toward.

Indiana Legal Help's Quick Links section is the starting point for self-represented litigants who need common court forms and procedural guidance. It gathers the forms most often requested by people handling their own cases — Contempt, Continuance, Fee Waiver, Virtual Hearing, and Appearance — along with plain-language answers about filing fees, serving court forms, and what happens after a case is filed. If you are representing yourself in an Indiana court and need a specific form or a basic explanation of a filing step, this is where to look first.

What the Quick Links Section Covers

The site describes Quick Links as a way to "find easy to access common resources." It is organized around the practical questions that come up once you are already in or preparing for a case.

Commonly Used Forms

The forms page collects the documents that come up most often in self-represented cases:

• Contempt — for asking the court to enforce an existing order
• Continuance — for requesting a postponement of a hearing or deadline
• Fee Waiver — for asking the court to waive filing fees based on inability to pay
• Virtual Hearing — for participating in a hearing remotely
• Appearance — for formally entering your appearance in a case

These are the forms the site itself flags as commonly used, so they are a reasonable first stop before searching elsewhere.

After a Case Is Filed

This section covers "information you may need after a case is filed with the court." It is aimed at people who have already submitted paperwork and need to understand the next steps in the process.

Filing Fee FAQ

A dedicated FAQ answers common questions about filing fees — what they are, when they apply, and how they relate to the fee waiver form.

Service FAQ

A separate FAQ explains how to serve your court forms — that is, how to legally deliver copies of your filings to the other party, which is a required step that trips up many self-represented litigants.

Indiana County Court Local Rules

Because local rules vary by county, the site links to local rules for each Indiana county. If your case is in a specific county, checking that county's local rules is important, since they can add requirements beyond statewide procedure.

Glossary of Legal Terms

The glossary is provided "to help gain a working knowledge of some of the terms used on this website" — useful when a form or FAQ uses terminology you are not familiar with.

How to Get There

1. Go to indianalegalhelp.org.
2. Locate the Quick Links section, described on the site as "Find easy to access common resources."
3. Choose the specific resource you need: Commonly Used Forms, After a Case Is Filed, Filing Fee FAQ, Service FAQ, Indiana County Court Local Rules, or the Glossary of Legal Terms.

If you are not sure which form applies to your situation, the site's Legal Topics section organizes issues by category — Housing, Family and Safety, Money and Estate, Military/Immigration/Employment, Driving and Expungement, and Other Legal Issues — so you can identify your topic before returning to the forms.

What to Check Before Filing

• Confirm your county's local rules. Statewide forms may still be subject to county-specific requirements listed under Indiana County Court Local Rules.
• Read the Service FAQ before you file. Serving the other party is a separate step from filing, and doing it incorrectly can delay your case.
• Check the Filing Fee FAQ if cost is a concern. The Fee Waiver form exists for those who cannot afford filing fees, and the FAQ explains how fees work.
• Use the glossary when a form or instruction uses a term you do not recognize.

When to Look Beyond the Forms

Quick Links provides forms and procedural explanations, not legal advice for your specific situation. If you have a legal question about how the law applies to your case, the site offers Free Legal Answers, where you can email an attorney for free legal advice, and a Calendar of Events listing upcoming clinics where you can speak with an attorney in person. For legal professionals, there is also a Pro Bono Opportunity Guide for volunteering at clinics or representing someone in need.

Indiana Legal Help offers a "Free Legal Answers" feature that lets you email a legal question to an attorney at no cost. On the site's homepage, look for the "Free Legal Answers" link (it opens in a new window) under the heading "Helping Hoosiers Find Legal Help." This route suits people who have a specific civil legal question and can wait for a written reply, rather than those who need same-day, in-person guidance.

What Free Legal Answers Is

Free Legal Answers is a written-advice channel. You submit a legal question, and a volunteer attorney responds by email. The site describes it as a way to "email an attorney for free legal advice."

It is not a full-representation service. The attorney answers your question; they do not take your case, file documents for you, or appear in court on your behalf. If your situation needs ongoing representation, this feature is a starting point, not a substitute for a lawyer.

Who This Fits

Free Legal Answers works best when:

• You have a specific, answerable question — for example, how a filing fee waiver works, what a continuance form is for, or what steps follow after a case is filed.
• You are handling your case yourself (a self-represented litigant) and need direction on a form or procedure.
• You can describe your situation in writing and wait for a reply.
• Your issue falls within a civil legal topic the site covers.

It fits less well when you need urgent protection, an emergency hearing, or someone to stand next to you in court.

Topics You Can Ask About

The site organizes legal help by topic, which also signals the range of questions Free Legal Answers can address:

If your question fits one of these areas, it is a candidate for the email-advice route.

Free Legal Answers vs. Attending a Clinic

The site offers two distinct ways to reach an attorney. Choosing between them depends on how you prefer to communicate and how quickly you need an answer.

If your question is straightforward and you are comfortable writing it out, Free Legal Answers is the lower-friction option. If you would rather explain your situation face to face, check the Calendar of Events for an upcoming clinic.

Getting Started

1. Go to indianalegalhelp.org.
2. On the homepage, find the "Free Legal Answers" link (marked as opening in a new window).
3. Follow it to submit your legal question by email.
4. Wait for a volunteer attorney's written reply.

If you are not sure which topic your question belongs to, browse the "Legal Topics" section first — it lists the categories above and can help you frame your question clearly before you send it.

Related Resources on the Site

While you wait for an answer, the site's Quick Links section covers common needs that often come up alongside a legal question:

• Commonly Used Forms — contempt, continuance, fee waiver, virtual hearing, and appearance forms.
• After a Case Is Filed — information you may need once your case is with the court.
• Filing Fee FAQ and Service FAQ — answers on filing fees and how to serve your court forms.
• Indiana County Court Local Rules — local rules for your county.
• Glossary of Legal Terms — plain-language definitions of terms used on the site.

These are self-help materials, not legal advice, but they pair well with a Free Legal Answers question — you can read up on the procedure and then ask an attorney to confirm your understanding.