Legal Question in Family Law in Massachusetts

Court appointed attorneys are only in the criminal courts and are not part of the Family and Probate Courts.

As far as pro bono family law attorneys, most attorneys and/or firms do some sort of pro bono work, however most attorneys can only financially handle a very limited number of pro bono cases.

Also, many attorneys will take some cases on a reduced fee basis. For instance, our firm's reduced fee program is based on a sliding scale depending on our client's income.

I hope that helped.

Thank you,

Under current law, the Gideon decision only requires appointment of counsel in criminal matters where a defendat faces the possibility of incarceration. In massachusetts, parents may alos be appointed counsel in Care & Propection proceedings where the Government seeks to remove a child from a home or terminate parental rights.

There are Legal Services organizations that are funded primarily by the interest that would have been earned on Attorney Trust Accounts (IOLTA), by (limited) state funding, thru volunteers, and by charitable organizations, or otherwise. These organizations provide free or reduced cost representation to low income persons.