Can a lawyer really make a difference?

My landlord refuses to make repairs. I guess I can live with that. REALLY? Think again . . .

We’re living in this rundown apartment . . . My child’s asthma keeps getting worse . . .I have to call an ambulance . . . Now the medical bills are piling up and I can’t pay . . .My credit record is ruined . . .which hikes the interest rate I can get on loans . . .So I have to get an old used car instead of a better one. . .Now I’m late for work because half the time the car won’t start. . . I missed a promotion and was denied a raise. . . So we can’t afford to move and we’re stuck in bad housing. It seems like this cycle is never going to end!

 

HOW A LAWYER CAN HELP YOU BREAK THE CYCLE Tenants with limited help from lawyers SAVED AN AVERAGE OF 9.4 MONTHS RENT (due to waived rent or damages paid to the tenant by the landlord) compared to 1.9 months rent for tenants who were not offered legal help. Tenants with limited help from lawyers were almost twice as likely to be able to STAY IN THEIR HOME than tenants who were offered no legal help in one study of housing cases. In a study of Maryland divorce cases, both men and women saw BETTER FINANCIAL AWARDS when both parties had lawyers. When neither side had a lawyer, both women and men did worse. In one study in Maryland, individuals were 2.5 times more likely to obtain a PROTECTIVE ORDER if they had a lawyer.