PORTLAND, Maine - Mainers in need of legal help can get some free guidance all this week at libraries across Maine.
Stan Tupper is a Portland attorney, and chair of the new lawyers section of the Maine Bar Association, which puts Law Week together. He says it's not the same as seeing a lawyer in his or her office, but it's a good way to get people together with an attorney if they need one, and get the process started.
Tupper says resources do exist to help people out with their legal needs - and figuring out how to guide people to those resources will be a big part of this week's programs.
"Might be, 'How do I get a divorce if I can't afford an attorney?' 'There's a lien on my house - what do I do about that?' 'Somebody owes me money, do I have legal recourse and what does that look like?' " Tupper says. "And I think that what will happen is that the lawyers in libraries will perform a kind of a triage."
That includes figuring out when something's a legal issue and when it's not.
"If somebody comes in and says, 'My brother's always mean to me and never invites me to family functions,' the lawyer will say, 'That's unfortunate but it's not a program the legal system can address,' " Tupper says. "Whereas, somebody comes in and says, 'My wife and I want to get a divorce, what's available to us in that regard?' And then the lawyer will steer them toward whatever resources are out there. And there are some resources."
Law Week events continue through Saturday. Learn more about the program.
