Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep trying!  CLEAR has staff available between 9:15am and 12:15pm. When you get through to CLEAR you might be able to talk to an attorney, which will save you time! CLEAR will also mail you the court forms you need so that you don’t have to pay for it at the Courthouse.  CLEAR also figures out the best legal organization for you to contact based on your legal issues.   If you have an emergency and need urgent legal advice, you can get it from CLEAR much sooner than if we scheduled you for one of our clinics.  If after trying multiple times, please call our office at (360) 705-8194 or toll-free at 1-844-211-6916.

Most of our clinics happen in the evening, so our staff work non-traditional hours.  If no one answers, please leave a phone message and we will call you back as soon as we can!   During clinics, we can’t answer the phones because we are helping other people.  Our phone number is (360) 705-8194 or toll-free at 1-844-211-6916.

If you live in Thurston County and  have been served papers saying that your landlord is trying to evict you, we offer free legal representation for your court hearing at Thurston County Superior Court.  We call this the Housing Justice Project.  Volunteer attorneys will negotiate a settlement with your landlord’s representative or will represent you before the judge.  If you are being evicted, please come to the Housing Justice Project at 8:30am on Friday mornings.

For other types of civil legal issues, it is not often that we have a lawyer who will represent you.  Our legal advice clinics help you take the steps you need to take to represent yourself.

When you get to the clinic, you will have an intake interview with someone who is not a lawyer.  This is when we find out if your income is under 200% of the Federal Poverty guidelines and that you are eligible to receive free legal consultation.   After this, a volunteer attorney will be assigned to your case.  The attorney will interview you about your legal issue and then give you legal advice.   Because lawyers have specialties that may not match your specific issue, the lawyer will consult with a “Mentor” who is a seasoned lawyer with many years of experience representing clients in lots of different areas.

When you leave the clinic, you will have a plan to follow to take the next step or steps in your legal case.

YES!  As long as its the same legal issue, you are welcome to come back again and again until the issue is resolved!  When you leave each clinic, you will be asked if you want to schedule another appointment.  You can also call our office at (360) 705-8194 or toll-free 1-844-211-6916 and we will schedule you for the next available clinic appointment.

Bring ALL the paperwork you have regarding your legal issue.  For example, if you have a landlord-tenant issue bring your lease and any notices that you have received.   If it is a family law issue, bring any prior court orders or other legal documents.

CLEAR will send you the paperwork you need.   Another useful site to get forms is  www.WashingtonLawHelp.org.   Your local court might also have the forms available but will likely charge you for printing and delivery costs.   We have forms at the clinics as well.

Staff at TCVLS are not attorneys and are not allowed to give legal advice.  We do not have any attorneys on staff nor do we have access to volunteer attorneys outside of clinic hours.   CLEAR does have attorneys on staff who can advise you over the phone.   CLEAR’s phone number is 888-201-1014.

Since the federal bankruptcy court is in Pierce County, we refer bankruptcy questions to the Volunteer Legal Services Program at the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association.

The phone number is (253) 572-5134.

TCVLS is not able to help you with criminal cases.   Each county court has attorneys who provide defense for those who cannot afford private attorneys.

Grays Harbor Superior Court(360) 249-3842
Mason County Public Defense(360) 427-9670
Pacific County Superior Court(360) 875-9351
Thurston County Office of Assigned Counsel(360) 754-4897

Check with  your local Bar Association or the internet for attorneys who specialize in these types of legal cases.

Call our office at (360) 705-8194  or  toll-free at 1-888-211-6916.  We’ll help point you in the right direction!