The DFLC is a non-profit law firm serving moderate income families. Our practice focuses on divorce, domestic violence, custody, wills, & adoptions.
The mission of the Dayton Family Law Center is to ensure all Americans have access to justice.
Most legal aid services target families at or below the poverty line.(1) Yet, the average attorney fee is still too expensive for many families who do not qualify for legal aid.(2) For those families that are living paycheck to paycheck, finding affordable legal representation is a challenge that can impact a case’s outcome.(3)
A survey by the ABA Coalition for Justice reported that sixty percent of the judges surveyed noted fewer people are being represented by counsel in civil cases.(4) “Without legal representation, the chances of an individual adequately representing [himself] are fairly slim,” says Eric K. Yamamoto, law professor at University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law.(5) “A lawyer has knowledge of the [courts] rules and procedures and years of training,” Professor Yamamoto continues, “If you have an attorney, it really increases your chances of presenting the case and winning.”(6)
According to Laurence Tribe, a former law professor and head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Access to Justice Initiative, “American’s access to justice [is] a ‘dramatically understated crisis” and “[This] problem is growing for the middle class.”7
1. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/middle-class_dilemma_cant_afford_lawyers_cant_qualify_for_legal_aid/
2 Id.
3. http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/04/15/local/local01.txt
4. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/middle-class_dilemma_cant_afford_lawyers_cant_qualify_for_legal_aid/
5. http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/04/15/local/local01.txt
6. Id.
7. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/middle-class_dilemma_cant_afford_lawyers_cant_qualify_for_legal_aid/
