Legal

• AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania - Provides legal services for prisoners in PA with HIV/AIDS. English and Spanish.

• Alliance of Incarcerated Canadians/Foreigners in American Prisons (AICAP) -  

• The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) - Write to report incidents of discrimination.

• American Bar Association - The ABA is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public. The Mission of the American Bar Association is to be the national representative of the legal profession, serving the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law.

• American Center for Law and Justice - ACLJ specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. Through our work in the courts and the legislative arena, the ACLJ is dedicated to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.

• Association of Federal Defense Attorneys - AFDA is an Internet-based association for criminal defense attorneys, law professors, paralegals, investigators, and all other professionals associated with the field of federal criminal defense litigation. AFDA has been approved as an MCLE provider by the State of California since 1997.

• The Bar Association of San Francisco - The Bar Association of San Francisco champions equal access to justice and promotes humanity, excellence, and diversity in the legal profession. We provide legal services to disadvantaged and underserved individuals in San Francisco. We create opportunities for legal service in the community and encourage participation by our members.

• Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom - Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALiF) is the nation's oldest and largest bar association of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Persons in the Field of Law. Founded in 1980, BALiF represents its members interests in the San Francisco Bay Area.

• The Beverly Hills Bar Association - The Beverly Hills Bar Association, a nationally recognized major metropolitan bar association based in Beverly Hills, serves the 15,000 + lawyers who live or work on the Westside of Los Angeles County. With over 3,600 members, it is the largest voluntary bar association in California that is not a county bar association. Our mission is to serve our members, to lead our profession and to advocate for justice in our community.

• The Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles - BWL was formed more than 31 years ago when a group of African-American female attorneys and judges organized to provide support, opportunities and career development for women of color in the legal profession. Over the past three decades BWL has been faithful to its mission but has also evolved into an organization focused on charitable, educational and community-based services.

• Bureau of Prisons Consultants - Post Conviction Relief (PCR) Consultants offer consultation and document preparation services to federal defendants, inmates, and their loved-ones content with the oppressive Federal Justice System.

• The Brennan Center - The Brennan Center does an impressive array of work, from groundbreaking legal challenges and first-ever studies in critical policy areas to constitutional and legal analysis and legislative drafting of felon disenfranchisement.

• California Appellate Courts - This system provides case information for California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal cases. Case information is updated once an hour throughout the business day. Searches for Supreme Court and Court of Appeal case information can be initiated by supplying trial court, Court of Appeal, or Supreme Court case number or by supplying case caption, attorney, or party information. Searches for Court of Appeal cases can also be initiated by supplying court calendar date.

• California Association of Black Lawyers - The CABL has an illustrious history and lineage of courage, activism, and participation in the political process.

• California Courts - The California Judicial Branch, Committed to providing fair and equal access to justice for all Californians.

• California Legislative Analyst's Office - The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) has been providing fiscal and policy advice to the Legislature for more than 65 years. It is known for its fiscal and programmatic expertise and nonpartisan analyses of the state's budget. The LAO is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member, bipartisan committee.

• California Minority Counsel Program - CMCP's mission is to promote diversity among the state's attorney population, and thereby advance a more inclusive and just legal profession. As the state grows increasingly more diverse, it is imperative to have lawyers of different backgrounds to understand and serve the needs of these incredibly diverse communities and ensure a more inclusive legal profession.

• Capital Defense Network - The content of the FDPRC webpage is intended to help defense counsel become familiar with the issues, procedures, and practices unique to, or made unique by, capital prosecutions, and to provide guidance in working with these matters.

• Center for Constitutional Rights - CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change and dedicated to advancing and protecting rights guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CCR is currently litigating the Ashker v Brown challenge to solitary confinement in CA. CCR co-publishes the Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook with the National Lawyers Guild.

• Center for Court Innovation-Problem-Solving Courts - Disseminates ideas about community and problem-solving justice through publications, journal articles and web sites.

• Centurion Ministries - The primary mission of Centurion Ministries is to vindicate and free from prison those who are completely innocent of the crimes for which they have been unjustly convicted and imprisoned for life or death. We also assist our clients, once they are freed, with reintegration into society on a self-reliant basis.

• Chicago Innocence Project - The Chicago Innocence Project investigates cases in which prisoners may have been convicted of crimes they did not commit, with priority to murder cases that resulted in sentences of death or life without parole. CIP involves college students, community residents, private investigators and journalists in the reporting process. Does not represent clients in criminal cases, but after our investigation is completed, outside counsel may bring new evidence of innocence to court. The fundamental goal is to expose and remedy wrongdoing by the criminal justice system.

• Colombia Legal Services - CLS is a not for profit organization employing lawyers and legal workers who provide legal assistance to low-income and special needs people and organizations in Washington. CLS has recently reorganized and now maintains five offices.

• Commission on Judicial Performance - The State of California Commission on Judicial Performance is the independent state agency in California responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial incapacity and for disciplining judges, pursuant to article VI, section 18 of the California Constitution. The Commission's jurisdiction includes all active California state court judges. The Commission also has authority to impose certain discipline on former judges and has shared authority with local courts over court commissioners and referees. The Commission does not have authority over federal judges, judges pro tem or private judges.

• Committee for Public Counsel Services Innocence Program - The Program seeks to: (1) identify potentially meritorious Massachusetts innocence claims; (2) assign experienced attorneys to litigate such claims, (3) supervise and train lawyers handling innocence cases, and (4) administer funds to support post-conviction investigation, forensic consultation and testing. A case may be eligible for assistance from the CPCS Innocence Program whether or not DNA evidence might be available to establish innocence. Highest priority is given to cases involving serious felonies for which the defendant is currently serving a substantial sentence.

• The Community Justice Exchange - Founded as a public/private partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the Fund for the City of New York, the Center for Court Innovation is a non-profit think tank that helps courts and criminal justice agencies aid victims, reduce crime and improve public trust in justice. The Center combines action and reflection to spark problem-solving innovation both locally and nationally.

• Connecticut Innocence Project - Cases accepted: cases of actual innocence in Connecticut; DNA and non-DNA cases. Sentence must include at least a ten year period of incarceration and be no less than five years from estimated release date. There must be some new evidence in the case which would establish innocence. Prisoner must be indigent.

• Consumer Attorneys of California - CAOC is an organization of more than 3,000 attorneys who represent plaintiffs/consumers who seek responsibility from wrongdoers. In each case, the person the CAOC member represents faces an opponent with far more power and access to resources: polluters, governments, insurance companies, automobile manufacturers, and banks. CAOC members take cases they view as worthy, invest their own resources in developing and taking such cases to court, often over a several year period, and are paid only from those cases which are successful.

• The Constitution Project - The Constitution Project seeks consensus solutions to difficult legal and constitutional issues. It does this through constructive dialogue across ideological and partisan lines, and through scholarship, activism, and public education efforts.

• Contra Costa County Bar Association - CCCBA is the premier legal resource for attorneys and members of the Contra Costa County community. We strive to educate our members and the public concerning the law, the legal profession and the judicial system, and to provide a means of communication both between and among our members and the public.

• Cornell Law School Supreme Court Rulings - Resource containing US Supreme Court decisions including historic decisions, current decisions, and information about the court.

• Correctional Association of New York - Have four working project groups: the Public Policy Project, the Women in Prison Project, the Prison Visiting Project, and the Juvenile Justice Project. 

• Criminal Justice Forum - Our mission is to provide assistance to those dealing with the criminal justice system and to help the victims, defendants and their respective families find the help they need. While we won't be delivering any new Justice Radio Shows, you can still listen previously recorded shows in our radio show archive.

• Eastside Legal Assistance Program - ELAP is a non-profit organization providing civil legal assistance to low income residents of East and Northeast King County Washington. Since opening its doors in 1990, ELAP has assisted more than 35,000 people. ELAP's attorneys have volunteered more than 10,000 hours of legal service to community residents through its programs.

• Education Justice Project - The mission of the Education Justice Project (EJG) is to build a model college-in-prison program that demonstrates the positive impacts of higher education upon incarcerated people, their families, the communities from which they come, and society as a whole. EJP offers education programs to students incarcerated at Danville Correctional Center.

• The Exoneration Initiative - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in New York; DNA and non-DNA cases (specializes in non-DNA); no sentence requirements.

• Federal Bar Association - As the professional organization for private and government lawyers and judges involved in federal practice, the FBA has offered an unmatched array of leadership opportunities and services for more than 80 years. This Web site provides a wealth of constantly updated information for law students, new practitioners, experienced attorneys, and judges from all over the country. The FBA gives its 16,000 members a chance to meet at regional and national conferences, become active in informed discussion of substantive law issues, assume leadership positions at the local and national level, and network with other professionals in the field of federal law.

• Find Legal Forms - FindLegalForms.com's comprehensive library of legal documents, legal papers, and business forms has been prepared by attorneys to provide you with safe, informative, and easy-to-use legal forms. To save you time and money, FindLegalForms.com offers: immediate download access to legal forms, attorney-prepared legal documents, money back guarantee, and easy payment through PayPal and all major credit cards.

• Florida Institutional Legal Services - FILS is the only statewide legal services program in Florida dedicated to serving people who are institutionalized. Currently, FILS is investigating the specific issues facing incarcerated parents in Florida through direct outreach, aggressive use of the Florida Sunshine laws, legal research, and limited advocacy for individual clients with compelling and representative claims. FILS publishes the Florida Parental Rights Manual for Incarcerated Parents and their Families (2009) 106 pages, which is available for download from their website or can be obtained by writing the above address.

• Florida Justice Institute - The Florida Justice Institute (FJI) is a nonprofit public interest law firm that conducts civil rights litigation and advocacy in the areas of prisoners' rights, housing discrimination, disability discrimination, and other areas that impact the lives of Florida's poor and disenfranchised. This includes cases for persons currently or formerly incarcerated in a Florida prison or jail involving mistreatment while incarcerated, or involving the conditions of the facility. FJI does not accept criminal or post-conviction cases (meaning anything related to a criminal case, including criminal appeals, sentencing motions, Rule 3.850 or 3.800 motions, clemency petitions, and habeas corpus petitions).

• The Fresno County Bar Association - Since 1882 the FCBA has honorably served the residents of California's San Joaquin Valley with the following goals: To maintain the honor and dignity of the profession and practice of the law; To increase its usefulness in promoting the administration and proper amendment of the law so as best to secure every right to the citizen; and to cultivate quality relationships and friendly sentiments among its members.

• Friends Committee on Legislation of California - Quaker founded group that advocates and lobbies for CA state laws that are just, compassionate, and respectful of the inherent worth of every person. They publish a free quarterly periodical, the FCLCA Newsletter, which keeps track of pending legislation.

• Hispanic National Bar Association - The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, non-profit, national association representing the interest of over 33,000 Hispanic American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students in the United States and Puerto Rico. The HNBA invites all Hispanics attorneys to become members and represents Puerto Rican, Cuban American, Mexican American, South and Central American attorneys, as well as any other within the profession, who subscribe to the goals and philosophy of the Hispanic National Bar Association.

• Idaho Innocence Project - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Idaho and eastern Oregon; DNA and non-DNA cases; no sentence requirements.

• Idaho Innocence Project (Eastern Oregon) - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Idaho and eastern Oregon; DNA and non-DNA cases; no sentence requirements.

• The Innocence Project (National) - A national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing. Will investigate and work to re-open your case ONLY if you are innocent. All cases for consideration should be mailed with a brief factual summary of the case and a list of the evidence used against the defendant. Write for the address of the Innocence Project in your state.

• Innocence Project New Orleans - See Louisiana listing.

• Innocence Project of Iowa - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Iowa; DNA and non-DNA cases; no sentence requirements; preference for substantial sentences.  

• Innocence Project (Virginia) - Cases Accepted: cases of actual innocence in Virginia; DNA and non-DNA cases; no sentence requirements.

• Innocence Project Wisconsin - The Wisconsin Innocence Project represents prison inmates who claim to be actually innocent of the crimes for which they are incarcerated. The Wisconsin Innocence Project is a project in the Frank J. Remington Center at the University of Wisconsin Law School. The Project was founded in 1998 and is co-directed by Law Professors Keith Findley and John Pray. At any given time, approximately 20 law students are enrolled in the program. Under the supervision of attorneys, the students investigate and litigate claims of innocence on behalf of prisoners in Wisconsin and elsewhere. There is no cost to the prisoner for the Project's services.

• Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program - Since 2007, University of Oregon (UO) has taught three Inside-Out Classes through the Clark Honors College (CHC) at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Courses are taught in an integrated classroom with outside students (from the Honors College) and inside students (who are incarcerated at Oregon State Penitentiary).

• Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook - The Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook, published jointly by the National Lawyers Guild and the Center for Constitutional Rights, explains how a prisoner can start a lawsuit in federal court to fight against mistreatment and bad conditions in prison. Because most prisoners are in state prisons, the authors focus on those. However, people in federal prisons and city or county jails will be able to use the Handbook also. To receive a paperbound copy, mail $2.00 in money order, check, or stamps to the above address. Please note that the Handbook is also available for free if downloaded from either of the below-listed websites by an outside source, printed out, and mailed in to the prisoner. List of chapter headings: (1) Introduction; (2) Your Legal Options; (3) Your Rights in Prison; (4) Structuring Your Lawsuit; (5) How to Start Your Lawsuit; (6) Legal System & Research; (7) The Legal System and Legal Research; and 12 appendices. https://jailhouselaw.org or https://ccrjustice.org/files/Report_JailHouseLawyersHandbook.pdf

• Juvenile Law Center - Juvenile Law Center ensures that the child welfare, juvenile justice and other public systems provide vulnerable children with the protection and services they need to become happy, healthy and productive adults. Founded in 1975 as a non-profit legal service, JLC is one of the oldest public interest law firms for children in the United States. We work on behalf of children who have come within the purview of public agencies for example, abused or neglected children placed in foster homes, delinquent youth sent to residential treatment facilities or adult prisons, or children in placement with specialized services needs. Although JLC primarily serves the children of Pennsylvania, we are also asked to lend our expertise to national child advocacy efforts.

• Justice Brandeis Innocence Project - Brandeis University - The Justice Brandeis Innocence Project is one of the few projects around the country that uses journalistic methods as a primary tool. Although the project consults with attorneys and academic experts in criminal justice, JBIP depends on investigative reporting techniques to probe cases of likely wrongful conviction because often there is no DNA to test.

• KABA Nor-Cal - The Korean American Bar Association of Northern California has served Korean American lawyers and the local Korean American community since the mid 1980's.

• KABA-So-Cal - The Korean American Bar Association of Southern California was founded in 1980 by a small number of first generation Korean-American lawyers in Los Angeles. It has grown to include over 1,500 members. The KABA Public Interest Fellowship will be awarded by the KABA board to a recent law school graduate who is working for a non-profit organization on a legal project dedicated to helping the Korean American community of Southern California.

• Kentucky Innocence Project - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Kentucky; DNA and non-DNA cases; minimum 10-year sentence.

• King County Law Library - The King County Law Library of Washington State serves the legal and law related information needs of the county, including the judges, county officials, members of the Bar and other county residents. The Library cooperates with the community to enhance knowledge of the law and to facilitate access to the justice system.

• La Raza Centro Legal Inc. - Resources and possible legal referrals for INS detainees in Northern California. We are not able to help with criminal or other civil matters. Spanish services provided.

• Law and Policy Institutions Guide - Law and Policy Institutions Guide serves as a comprehensive repository of legal resources, law articles, legal practice information, as well as legislative and judicial resources for U.S. and international legal professionals. It is organized and designed with the research needs of legal professionals, law students, consultants, authors, and the public in mind.

• Law Guru - LawGuru.com was originally started in 1996 by a Los Angeles law firm and has evolved into one of the most popular legal web sites on the Internet. It is offered as a free service to the entire Internet Community. Please note that WebSiteBroker, Inc. is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

• The Lawyers' Club of Los Angeles County - The Lawyers' Club of Los Angeles County is home to scores of attorneys committed to community service, continuing education and collegiality. At its founding in 1931, the club was and continues to be a vociferous advocate of good government and of an efficient, sensitive judicial system. Just as importantly, it provides a place for the warm fellowship of other lawyers.

• Legal Action Center - Non-profit organization providing free legal services to formerly incarcerated people, recovering alcoholics, substance abusers, and people with HIV.

• Legal Foundation of Washington State - The Legal Foundation of Washington is dedicated to equal justice for low-income persons. The Foundation funds programs and supports policies and initiatives which enable the poor and the most vulnerable to overcome barriers in the civil justice system.

• Legal Information Institute - LII is a research and electronic publishing activity of the Cornell Law School. Popular collections include: the U.S. Code and Supreme Court opinions.

• Legal Seeker - The Lawyers' Club of Los Angeles County is home to scores of attorneys committed to community service, continuing education and collegiality. At its founding in 1931, the club was and continues to be a vociferous advocate of good government and of an efficient, sensitive judicial system. Just as importantly, it provides a place for the warm fellowship of other lawyers.

• Los Angeles County Bar Association - The Los Angeles County Bar Association has been making a difference in the professional lives of lawyers, and in the lives of the people of Los Angeles County, for over 125 years. Founded in 1878 and incorporated as a mutual benefit nonprofit corporation in 1953, the Los Angeles County Bar Association's mission is to meet the professional needs of Los Angeles lawyers and advance the administration of justice. With more than 25,000 members, over 100 committees and sections, and a score of public service projects, our association provides exceptional career resources for our members, an effective voice for the profession and vital services to the community.

• The MacArthur Justice Center - Focus area/description: Impact litigation on criminal justice issues, focused specifically on Illinois. Individual prisoner cases are rarely accepted.

• Marin County Bar Association (California) - With almost 800 members, it is the mission of the MCBA to involve, encourage and support bar association members, to serve as a liaison to the Marin County courts, and to educate the community and enhance access to legal services.

• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) - National Office - Has regional offices in GA, IL, TX, CA, and DC. Largest latino civil rights organization. MALDEF litigates large class action cases; can not take individual cases, nor criminal cases. Write for more info. Provides referrals. Best to use online contact form.

• Michigan Innocence Clinic - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Michigan; non-DNA cases only; no sentence requirements. You must not be currently represented by counsel and the crime and conviction must have occurred in Michigan. Eyewitness misidentification, junk science, false confessions, government misconduct, jailhouse informant testimony, bad lawyering and other factors are considered.

• Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project - Cases accepted: DNA and non-DNA cases; substantial time left on sentence; DC, MD and VA. Factors considered: inadequate defense counsel, mistaken eyewitness identifications, false confessions, junk science and lab fraud, prisoner incentivized testimony, police and prosecutorial misconduct, lack of adequate post-conviction remedies.

• Midwest Innocence Project (AR, KS, MO, IA & NE) - The MIP is dedicated to the investigation, litigation and exoneration of wrongfully convicted men and women in the following states: AR, KS, MO, IA and NE. Applicant must claim actual innocence, in other words, that he/she did not participate in the crime; has more than ten years left to serve on his/her sentence and/or the applicant must register as a sex offender; is not currently represented by an attorney and has NOT received the death penalty. MIP does NOT accept cases of self-defense.

• Montana Innocence Project - Cases accepted: DNA and non-DNA cases. Prisoners must have been convicted of a felony crime in a Montana state or federal court; must have completed trial, sentencing and direct appeals; must not currently be represented by an attorney or have access to a public defender. Priority is given to cases where convincing and corroborating evidence can establish actual innocence. MIP is unlikely to accept a case without independent and verifiable evidence to support the prisoner's claims.

• NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc. - Non-profit law firm which deals only with cases of obvious race discrimination, handles small # of death penalty & life w/o parole cases.

• National Association for Court Management - NACM is committed to improving the administration of justice and promoting the interdependence of court managers and judges. As the work of our nation's trial courts becomes more and more complex, court managers and managing judges must keep abreast of modern management techniques and practices.

• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - NACDL is the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's more than 12,800 direct members -- and 92 state, local, and international affiliate organizations with another 35,000 members -- include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness within America's criminal justice system.

• National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women - The Clearinghouse works with battered women charged with killing their abusers, women who have been coerced into criminal activity, and women who have been charged with a crime as a result of "failing to protect" their children from their batterer's violence and/or abuse. The Clearinghouse does not provide direct representation to battered women charged with crimes, but rather provides information and resources to defense teams at any stage of the legal process in an effort to increase the likelihood of a better - and more just - outcome. We accept collect calls from incarcerated battered women.

• National Lawyers Association - NLA is a professional trade association founded by attorneys for attorneys. It is a promise for the future of the legal profession. National Lawyers Association is an organization for attorneys who do not want their bar association taking stands on issues without their prior approval. National Lawyers Association follows a policy of non-involvement in political issues. The bylaws of the National Lawyers Association provide in part for the prior approval of two-thirds of the entire membership, not just the voting members, before the adoption of public policy positions. National Lawyers Association is a national bar association, organized to improve the image of the legal profession, to advance legal institutions and respect for the law, and to educate the public on such matters.

• National Lawyers Guild Prison Law Project - Published a 2005 Jailhouse Lawyers handbook, free for prisoners, on bringing Section 1983 claims alleging that constitutional rights have been violated in prison. Cannot provide lawyers. Offers $8 membership for jailhouse lawyers.

• National Organization of Bar Counsel - The National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC) is a non-profit organization of legal professionals whose members enforce ethics rules that regulate the professional conduct of lawyers who practice law in the United States, Canada and Australia.

• New England Innocence Project (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, & VT) - Cases accepted: Cases adjudicated in one of the six New England states (MA, VT, RI, ME, NH and CT) in which the inmate has a claim of factual innocence; DNA and non-DNA cases; must be in custody, but no time requirement; will consider arson and shaken baby syndrome cases and may consider child abuse cases. Also will consider cases involving invalidated forensic science, false confessions, jailhouse informant testimony, police/prosecutorial misconduct and poor defense lawyering.

• New York State Prisoner Justice Coalition - Publishes the New York State Prisoner Justice Network Directory, a free 16 page directory of New York justice and prisoner support organizations.

• North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence - Criteria for accepted cases: Must have been convicted of a felony committed in North Carolina; assert a credible claim of innocence (did not commit or have any involvement in the crime); have no more rights to appeal; be currently unrepresented by an attorney; have the possibility of new evidence that was not previously presented at trial or heard in a post-conviction motion; be claiming innocence for all convictions for which he/she is serving time.

• North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission - The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission is the first of its kind in the nation. The Commission was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2006 since then has reviewed hundreds of innocence claims and conducted multiple hearings. The Commission is charged with providing an independent and balanced truth-seeking forum for credible post-conviction claims of innocence in North Carolina. The Commission is separate from the appeals process. A person exonerated by the Commission process is declared innocent and cannot be retried again.

• North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services - NCPLS provides legal assistance to inmates in the North Carolina Department of Correction ranging from advice about prisoner's legal rights to representation in litigation in state and federal court. Cases are accepted based on referrals from attorneys as well as direct requests from inmates or individuals acting on behalf of inmates incapable of requesting legal assistance. The organization is divided into three teams of attorneys and paralegals: Post-Conviction, Civil, and Support Services.

• The North County Bar Association - California - Since 1956, the North County Bar Association has been dedicated to providing its members with programs and services promoting the development of the legal Profession.

• Northwest Justice Project - NJP is a not-for-profit statewide organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income people from ten offices and two satellite locations throughout the state of Washington. Each year, NJP assists more than 18,000 people in need of critical legal assistance. Clients in need of interpreter services in order to access legal services through NJP are entitled to those services.

• Ohio University - Ohio University offers a Paralegal Certificate Course presented in a print-based format, which will properly train and qualify the student as a paralegal. Write for paralegal course brochure (and/or the University's separate 25-page correctional education packet).

• Orange County Bar Association - California - The Orange County Bar Association provides a wide variety of programs, services and opportunities for its attorney members, the judiciary, and the community. The OCBA is one of the largest voluntary bar associations in California, with over 9,000 members. Members meet regularly in sections and committees dedicated to various areas of law and issues of concern to the legal community.

• Oregon Consensus Program - Oregon Consensus is a State of Oregon program providing a neutral forum and expert assessment, mediation and facilitation services to help public bodies resolve conflicts and develop public policy collaboratively across Oregon.

• The Palo Alto Area Bar Association (California) - The Palo Alto Area Bar Association is unique in that its geographical and professional area straddles two counties and two county bar associations. It was formed to provide a more personal and more responsive professional association for attorneys in the mid-peninsula, ranging from Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside, East Palo Alto, and Portola Valley through Palo Alto, Los Altos and Mountain View.

• People's Law Office - Fights for justice for people who have been tortured or physically abused, wrongfully arrested or convicted, unfairly sentenced to death, or targeted as a result of their political beliefs or organizing efforts on behalf of movements struggling for justice and liberation.

• Prison Law Office - The Prison law Office litigates and monitors class action lawsuits regarding medical care, mental health care, and disabled access for prisoners in California only. Also distributes self-help legal material on a number of topics. Write for list of available publications.Litigates and monitors class action law suits regarding medical care, mental health care, and disabled access for prisoners in CA only. Also distributes self-help legal material on a number of topics. Write with your concerns. 

• Prison University Project - The mission of the Prison University Project is to provide excellent higher education programs to people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison; to create a replicable model for such programs; and to stimulate public awareness and meaningful dialogue about higher education and criminal justice in California. The central goals of the College Program at San Quentin are to educate and challenge students intellectually; to prepare them to lead thoughtful and productive lives inside and outside of prison; to provide them with skills needed to obtain meaningful employment and economic stability post-release; and to prepare them to become providers, leaders, and examples for their families and communities.

• Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts - Prisoners' Legal Services promotes the safe, humane and lawful treatment of Massachusetts prisoners through civil rights litigation, administrative advocacy, client counseling, and outreach to policy makers and the public. Prisoners' Legal Services Litigation Priority Areas are: Health Care, including mental health care; Staff Assaults; Extreme Conditions of Confinement; & Segregation.

• Prisoners' Legal Services of New York - PLS provides free legal services to New York State prisoners. The decision to assist with any particular case depends on the issue or problem presented, the chance of success, the amount of time and resource necessary to properly assist, the office's resources, staff availability and caseload. Also publishes Pro Se newsletter six times per year for inmates in New York State prisons, providing information and analysis on recent developments in prison law. To subscribe, send a subscription request with prisoner's name, DIN number, and facility to Pro Se, 114 Prospect Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Past issues of Pro Se from 2003-2013 are downloadable from their website.

• ProBono.net - Pro Bono Net is a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City. Our mission is to increase access to justice through innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation.

• Rocky Mountain Innocence Center - Must have been convicted of a serious felony in NV, UT, or WY, and must have more than seven years left on his/her prison sentence; the prisoner's trial and direct appeals must be finished; the prisoner must be completely innocent; and significant new evidence must be available to prove the prisoner's innocence.

• Sacramento County Bar Association - The Sacramento County Bar Association of California is commitment to the legal profession and community is to enhance the system of justice, the lawyers who serve it, and the community served by it.

• San Bernardino County Bar Association - The San Bernardino County Bar Association of California provides certified Lawyer Referral Services for clients needing legal representation; volunteer attorneys to serve in Legal Aid clinics; unparalleled collegial opportunity through Bar service, educational programs, recreation, and travel; and is California's oldest continuously operating bar association, now in its 132nd year of serving its membership and community.

• San Diego County Bar Association - Founded in 1899 and over 10,000 members strong, the San Diego County Bar Association of California is the region's oldest and largest law-related organization. The voice for San Diego's diverse legal community, the SDCBA takes seriously its mission to support and inform not only the county's lawyers, but also the public. Programs help clients find qualified lawyers, resolve disputes and educate San Diegans on their legal rights and responsibilities.

• San Mateo County Bar Association - The San Mateo County Bar Association of California provides three major programs designed to assist our community. If you need to hire an attorney, the Lawyer Referral Service can help you. Attorneys on our Lawyer Referral Service are in good standing with the San Mateo County Bar Association and the State Bar of California, and carry professional liability insurance. Read about the Lawyer Referral Service. If you are having a dispute with your attorney regarding the amount of legal fees you have been charged, Fee Arbitration may be option.

• Santa Barbara County Bar Association - Santa Barbara County Bar Association - The Santa Barbara County Bar Association of California operates a professional association with a membership of 600 dedicated professionals. We ethically promote education and discussion in various fields of law, advance the science of jurisprudence, promote the fair and efficient administration of justice, encourage observance of the Rules of Professional Conduct, and foster cooperation between the bar, bench and governmental agencies.

• Santa Clara County Bar Association - Santa Clara County Bar Association of California.

• Sonoma County Bar Association - The Sonoma County Bar Association of California is established to maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of the law, to increase its usefulness in promoting the due administration of justice, to cultivate social relations among its members, to provide educational opportunities to the members, and all activities related to these purposes.

• Southern Center for Human Rights - Founded in 1976 to 1) fight the death penalty and 2) challenge cruel and unconstitutional treatment of imprisoned men, women, and children throughout the US South. Center attorneys represent people facing the death penalty; provide technical assistance to other attorneys; and represent individuals confined to prisons and jail in federal class action litigation.The Southern Center for Human Rights provides legal representation to people facing the death penalty in Georgia and Alabama only, and also publishes a Parolee Handbook, which serves as a guide the parole consideration process for people in Georgia's prisons. SCHR also publishes The Georgia Advocacy Handbook, a 46 page manual which helps explain the hierarchy in the GDC and how to maneuver within in it. Through this handbook families and friends of people incarcerated in Georgia will learn how to become advocates and implement appropriate and effective steps to resolve problems inside Georgia prisons.

• Southern Poverty Law Center - Publishes "Protecting Your Health and Safety" (cost $10, includes shipping), written for prisoners. Legal defense of rights to medical care, safety, living conditions.

• Stanford Three Strikes Project - The Stanford Three Strikes Project is the only legal organization in the country devoted to addressing excessive sentences imposed under California's Three Strikes sentencing law. The Project represents individuals currently imprisoned under the law and works, on behalf of its clients in collaboration with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Inc., to reform the harshest aspects of the Three Strikes law, including the enactment of the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 (Prop 36).

• The State Bar of California - Created by the state legislature in 1927, the State Bar is a public corporation within the judicial branch of government, serving as an arm of the California Supreme Court. All State Bar members are officers of the court. Membership in the State Bar of California affords attorneys the right and privilege of practicing law in this state. The bar's integrated network of functions and services- many of them mandated by law - protects the public and assists attorneys in meeting their professional obligations.

• State of Washington Access to Justice Board - ATJ recognizes that access to the civil justice system is a fundamental right, the Access to Justice Board works to achieve equal access for those facing economic and other significant barriers. ATJ was established by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1994 at the request of the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors in response to a growing need to coordinate the access to justice efforts in Washington State to provide continuity and focus.

• Street Law, Inc. - Offers a course in practical law for teachers and students. Each button on this site is the gateway to a tremendous about of information. Visit the Cases and Resources page, which offers hundreds of links to sites organized to coordinate with the contents of the Street Law text, many with activities.

• Sylvia Rivera Law Project - Provides free legal services to released prisoners who are transgender, intersex, gender nonconforming people who are low-income, and/or people of color. We specialize in providing assistance on name changes, identity documents, public benefits, immigration, shelter and more. Available only in NY and surrounding areas.

• Texas Center for Actual Innocence - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Texas; DNA and non-DNA cases; no sentence requirements.

• Texas Civil Rights Project - The Prisoners' Rights Program works to improve conditions in Texas prisons and jails through litigation and advocacy. The Prisoners' Rights Program concentrates on cases that will have broad impact by changing a policy or creating other systemic relief.

• Thomas M. Cooley Law School Innocence Project - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Michigan; DNA cases only; must be in custody, but no time requirement.

• Transgender Law Center - The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities. Every day we connect transgender people and their families to technically sound and culturally competent legal services, increase acceptance and enforcement of laws and policies that support California's transgender communities, and work to change laws and systems that fail to incorporate the needs and experiences of transgender people.

• University of Miami Law Innocence Clinic (Florida) - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Florida; DNA and non-DNA cases. Handles cases involving innocent individuals incarcerated for a minimum of 10 years who have new evidence ranging from recanting witnesses to new witnesses discovered by students to prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel.

• The University of WA's Clinical Law Program - The University of Washington School of Law is a leader among American law schools in offering students a comprehensive program of clinical legal education as part of their professional training. The Program successfully bridges legal theory and legal practice, developing in our students the essential skills to succeed as attorneys. The Clinical Law Program complements traditional classroom instruction with active "hands on" learning and provides an important community service.

• The Ventura County Bar Association - The VCBA of California was established in 1929 and incorporated in 1968. It is a California non-profit 501(c)(6) Mutual Benefit Corporation. Currently, the VCBA has 1227 members and 37 sections, committees and affiliates. The VCBA is governed by a 28 member board of directors and staffed by 7 professionals and 12 Emeritus Attorneys. Additionally, the VCBA has a charitable foundation. The Ventura County Bar Association/Volunteer Lawyers Services Program, Inc., was incorporated as a non-profit in December 2001 and a 501(c)(3) public benefit, tax exempt corporation in June 2002.

• Washington Defender Association - WDA provides over 900 members with access to the most recent developments in criminal law through training seminars, publications, and its resource assistance. WDA represents public defense issues in Olympia, Washington, and we work actively to oppose legislation which would seriously undermine constitutional protections for people accused of crimes. WDA supports positive legislation which would help fund indigent defense services or otherwise assist public defense agencies in protecting the rights of the accused. In addition, we support efforts which would provide alternatives to incarceration when appropriate.

• Washington State Law Help - Washington LawHelp is a guide to free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in Washington. This site provides legal education materials and tools that give you basic information on a number of legal problems, and in some cases, detailed instructions and forms to help you represent yourself in court. You can also locate information on free legal aid programs in Washington, including basic eligibility and contact information.

• Washington Online Learning Institute Washington Online Learning Institute serves many inmates with legal training.

• Wisconsin Innocence Project - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Wisconsin (will look at cases from neighboring states, or beyond in exceptional circumstances); DNA and non-DNA cases; must be in custody, must have three or more years left to serve.

• Women's Prison Association (New York) - WPA offers a range of services aimed at helping women in the New York City area. Their direct service network is organized in three broad areas; Residential and Family Services; Reentry Services; and neighborhood-based services. Within these program areas, WPA offers Alternatives to Incarceration, Family Reunification Assistance and Family Support Services, Reentry Case Management, Assistance and Support, and Jail- and Prison-Based Education and Pre-Release Services.

• Wrongful Conviction Project (Ohio) - Cases accepted: Cases of actual innocence in Ohio; non-DNA cases only; must be an indigent Ohio inmate; must claim factual innocence of the conviction; must not have contributed in any way to the commission of the offense; the prisoner is serving a lengthy prison sentence; must have no prior history of violent crimes and no lengthy prior criminal record; the basis for claimed innocence is not outcome determinative as to DNA evidence and the prisoner has exhausted the legal process.  

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