Mission

Dade Legal Aid ("DLA") provides free civil legal services for low-income children, foster youth, individuals and families in need in Miami-Dade County.  Since 1949, DLA has been passionately committed to providing "Access to Justice" to residents in dire need of legal representation without means to hire their own attorney. Dedicated Staff Attorneys and Pro Bono Volunteer Attorneys provide life-changing, and often life-saving services, in the areas of Child & Teen Advocacy, Guardian ad Litem, Foster Youth Guardianship, Human Sex Trafficking, Domestic Violence, Family Law, Probate & Guardianship, Consumer, Bankruptcy, Benefits, Evictions, Mortgage Foreclosure, Real Property, Wills, Small Claims, Immigration, Veterans, Disaster Relief, Nonprofit Incorporation, Intellectual Property, Patent & Venture Law. Each year, DLA assists thousands of clients involved in legal disputes that are very contentious and emotional, positively impacting the lives of over 10,000 residents annually utilizing a strategic mix of experienced staff attorneys, pro bono attorneys, law firm partnerships, law school stakeholders and dozens of collaborations with diverse organizations and groups with the aim of assisting vulnerable children, families and populations living in poverty.

Services include but are not limited to:

Dade Legal Aid is dedicated to clients' well-being, especially in the most difficult and trying circumstances, both in terms of client needs and the complexity and difficulty of the legal issues we handle. Clients may have one or more of these issues:

• Children in legal proceedings experiencing abuse, abandonment or neglect in need of a strong and effective voice that have a critical impact on their lives.
• Foster youth aging out of the legal system with lifelong emotional, medical and educational needs lacking sufficient family, skills, housing or resources.
• Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence and sex trafficking with nowhere else to turn to for assistance.
• In or in the process of eviction, foreclosure, facing loss of home, bankruptcy or collection without adequate legal representation.
• Facing extraordinary barriers and challenging obstacles requiring our legal expertise to resolve them and put their lives on the road to recovery.
• Lack access to adequate medical, mental health, or other critical services.
• Lack access to adequate housing, technology, and transportation.
• Lack ability to speak for or fend for themselves due to a disability.
• Lack access to the legal system and are at risk of falling further through the cracks.
• Lack legal protection for a disabled family member or loved one.
• Unable to be served by another agency due to their type of legal problem or immigration status.

Please click here to donate to support our work. Your assistance has never been more critical than it is today. Thank you for lifting up the lives of others at their time of need. Dade Legal Aid is inclusive and provides appropriate auxiliary aids and services at no cost to clients and their companions who are deaf or hard of hearing. If you need a special accommodation to participate in our program or to apply for our services you may contact Eileen Coto, ADA Coordinator ecoto@dadelegalaid.org or call 305-579-5733 ext. 2236 for assistance.

Click Here for Dade Legal Aid Auxiliary Aids Plan