Legal

Results: 17

• Adoption Services (2)
  PH-0300

  Adoption Services

  PH-0300
  
  Programs that participate in arranging permanent homes under new legal parentage for individuals whose birth parents are unable or unwilling to provide for their care. Included are programs that provide counseling and assistance for people who decide to relinquish their children for adoption or arrange for an independent adoption; which recruit, select, counsel and match suitable adoptive parents with children who have been relinquished; which assist in the adoption of stepchildren, adults or foreign-born children; which provide foster care for children who have been relinquished for adoption but not yet placed; and/or which assist people who are adopted to locate their birth parents and birth parents to locate the children they relinquished.
• Adult Guardianship Assistance (3)
  FT-6900.2500-050

  Adult Guardianship Assistance

  FT-6900.2500-050
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are in favor of or want to oppose the appointment of a guardian to protect adults from physical danger and improper treatment and/or to protect their estate from exploitation or waste when they have been found by the courts to be incapable of managing their own affairs due to Alzheimer's disease, alcoholism, mental illness or other incapacitating conditions. Adult guardianship programs are involuntary and are generally only available in states which have no arrangements for conservatorships, whose conservatorships are voluntary covering powers and property designated by the conservatee or whose conservatorships address only the individual's estate.
• Adult Protective Services (2)
  PH-6500.0500

  Adult Protective Services

  PH-6500.0500
  
  Social services programs that provide assistance for older adults, people with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals who are unable to act on their own behalf or manage their own affairs, or who are in immediate danger due to physical or emotional abuse, unsafe or hazardous living conditions, exploitation, neglect, self-neglect or abandonment. Included are APS programs that investigate cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation working closely with a wide variety of professionals including physicians, nurses, firefighters and law enforcement officers following receipt of a report from friends, neighbors or others concerned for their safety; and public and private guardianship/conservatorship programs that make provisions for people who have been judged to be incompetent by the court by assuming responsibility for the care and custody of the individuals and/or for the management of their estates.
• Adult Residential Facility Licensing (1)
  DF-4500.2000-100

  Adult Residential Facility Licensing

  DF-4500.2000-100
  
  Programs that establish and enforce health, safety and program standards for group residences for older adults and adults with disabilities including adult foster homes, group homes, adult residential care homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, semi-independent living residences for adults with disabilities and other similar facilities where licensing requirements apply; review applications for licenses; issue or deny licenses; inspect facilities for compliance with requirements; and revoke licenses or bring disciplinary action for noncompliance.
• Child Guardianship Assistance (1)
  FT-6900.2500-150

  Child Guardianship Assistance

  FT-6900.2500-150
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are in favor of or want to oppose the appointment of a guardian to care for and/or manage the affairs of a child or adolescent during minority. The court may appoint a guardian of the person in situations where there is no parent to meet the child's needs due to death, incapacity, abandonment, military service or other reasons; and/or a guardian of the child's estate. In the latter situation, the guardian is given responsibility for managing the child's funds, collecting and making an inventory of the child's assets, keeping accurate financial records, and regularly filing financial accountings with the court.
• Child Support Assistance/Enforcement (1)
  FT-3000.1600

  Child Support Assistance/Enforcement

  FT-3000.1600
  
  Programs that provide assistance which helps to ensure that parents fulfill their mutual obligation to financially support and provide health care for their children. Included are services for people who want to locate an absent parent; establish paternity; establish a child support order; request that the non-custodial parent provide health insurance for a child in conjunction with a child support order; change the amount of a child support award; dispute a child support award; or enforce payment of child support monies in cases where the supporting parent is delinquent in paying or refuses to pay or make health insurance arrangements altogether. Child support is money paid by one parent to another for the maintenance, including the education, of their children following the dissolution of their marriage or other relationship. Non-custodial parents enrolled in an insurance plan at work may be required to include the child under this coverage while those not covered by any insurance plan may be required to obtain medical coverage, if available at a reasonable cost. Child support assistance/enforcement may be provided by private attorneys, legal clinics, family law facilitators' offices or child support enforcement programs which are available in all states, often as a component of the district attorney's office.
• County Clerk of the Courts Offices (2)
  TD-6600.4500-160

  County Clerk of the Courts Offices

  TD-6600.4500-160
  
  The offices of individuals appointed by judges to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court; maintain court files, records and exhibits; handle financial matters; and provide other administrative support.
• Crime Victim Support (5)
  FN-1900

  Crime Victim Support

  FN-1900
  
  Programs whose objective is to help victims of crimes and their families recover from the trauma of their experience, get medical assistance when required, make their way through the legal system, have an opportunity to provide input to parole or clemency hearings, take appropriate steps, where relevant, to avoid becoming re-victimized, access the benefits to which they are entitled and rebuild their lives.
• Criminal Justice/Legal System Reform Groups (6)
  TD-1600.1530

  Criminal Justice/Legal System Reform Groups

  TD-1600.1530
  
  Organizations that advocate for changes in the criminal court system, the penal system and/or law enforcement that will allow these institutions to more effectively control crime and criminal offenders while protecting the rights of people accused of crimes, convicted of crimes or acquitted of crimes as well as those who are crime victims.
• Discrimination Assistance (3)
  FT-1800

  Discrimination Assistance

  FT-1800
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been treated unfairly or denied normal privileges based on their age, gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.
• DUI Offender Programs (3)
  RX-1750

  DUI Offender Programs

  RX-1750
  
  Programs that provide mandated educational, treatment and/or other services for individuals who have been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs including prescription drugs and ordered by the court to seek assistance as part of state efforts to enforce DUI laws. Some DUI offender programs also include families.
• Estate Planning Assistance (4)
  FT-2700

  Estate Planning Assistance

  FT-2700
  
  Programs that offer a review of options and assistance to people who want to provide for the administration and/or protection of their assets during their lifetime, develop a plan for managing their finances in the event of a disabling illness, prepare binding instructions for the health care they wish to receive or avoid should they become terminally ill, make arrangements for the disposition of their assets with a minimum amount of taxation upon their death and provide for the administration of their estate should their spouse or other beneficiaries be incapable of managing their affairs. Estate planning provides an opportunity for individuals to make their wishes known and to name the person(s) who will be responsible for carrying out those directives. Tools available during the estate planning process include a Last Will and Testament, durable power of attorney for health care, durable financial power of attorney and a directive to physicians such as a living will, natural death directive or other state-recognized document. A revocable living trust may also be appropriate in some circumstances.
• General Legal Aid (17)
  FT-3200

  General Legal Aid

  FT-3200
  
  Programs that provide legal counseling and/or representation for low-income individuals who need assistance in routine legal matters, usually in the area of bankruptcy, housing, public benefits, family law, elder law or immigration/naturalization.
• Guardians ad Litem (1)
  FJ-2600

  Guardians ad Litem

  FJ-2600
  
  Individuals appointed by the court to represent, in a particular lawsuit, the interests of minors, people judged to be incompetent or people unborn or unascertained who may have a future interest in the property involved in the litigation. These special guardians may also serve as advocates for dependent children pending settlement of their cases in dependency court; and are usually attorneys but may also be court appointed special advocates (CASA volunteers).
• Lawyers (3)
  YO-4500.4000

  Lawyers

  YO-4500.4000
  
  Individuals who represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents and manage or advise clients on legal transactions. They may specialize in a single area such as such as bankruptcy, probate, international or elder law; or may practice broadly in many areas of law. Attorneys serve as both advocates and advisors in society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, they counsel their clients concerning their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Whether acting as advocates or advisors, attorneys research the intent of laws and judicial decisions and apply the law to the specific circumstances faced by their client.
• State Trial Courts (2)
  FC-8200

  State Trial Courts

  FC-8200
  
  State trial courts located in local judicial districts that have jurisdiction in all cases in equity, cases involving title to or possession of real property, civil cases, felony and misdemeanor cases, probate and divorce matters, conciliation and domestic relations cases, adoptions, psychiatric cases, juvenile cases and traffic cases as well as appeals from Justice Courts. Appeals from the state trial court level are heard in most states by the State Courts of Appeal or the State Supreme Court at their discretion. In some states, a distinction is made between municipal courts which hear civil cases involving monetary claims lower than an established amount and criminal cases involving infractions punishable by a fine but not imprisonment, misdemeanor cases and preliminary hearings for felony cases; and superior courts which hear civil cases involving more substantial monetary claims, felony cases and other types of cases including adoption and family law matters, mental health cases, probate cases, and juvenile cases. In some states municipal courts are established by individual cities and have concurrent jurisdiction with superior courts over misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor violations and exclusive jurisdiction over infractions of local ordinances.
• Youth Courts (4)
  FC-9500

  Youth Courts

  FC-9500
  
  Courts which serve as an alternative to Juvenile Justice Courts for youth younger than age 16 who have committed minor delinquent and status offenses or exhibit other problem behaviors. Youth whose cases are heard in youth courts are judged, convicted or exonerated and sentenced by their peers. Variously known as teen, peer, and student courts, youth courts can be administered by and operated by a variety of agencies within a community including law enforcement agencies, juvenile probation departments, juvenile courts, private nonprofit agencies and schools.