Finding a Lawyer for Civil Cases in Superior Court

You have the right to represent yourself in court without an attorney, but most people benefit from having an attorney. The law can be complicated, and large amounts of money and serious legal rights may be at stake in your case.

If you are the owner or officer of a corporation or other legal entity, and you are not an attorney, you cannot represent the corporation in court, only an attorney can. If a corporation or other legal entity, such as a trust, has no attorney to represent it, the corporation could lose the case by dismissal of the lawsuit or by what is called “entry of a default judgment.”

If you do not have an attorney, or if your attorney withdrew from your case, the resources listed under “Find an Attorney” below may help you find an attorney for yourself or for a corporation or other legal entity that needs one. Also provided here is information on Court Service Centers.

Find an Attorney

The following groups help people find lawyers. The cost of legal services may vary depending on the provider and your income. Some services may cost less than others, and some may be free.

The programs include:

• Boston Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (“LRS”) 
• Essex County Bar Association LRS 
• Fair Employment Project 
• Franklin County Bar Association LRS 
• Hampden County Bar Association LRS
• Hampshire County Bar Association LRS 
• Massachusetts Bar Association LRS 
• Middlesex County Bar Association LRS 
• National Association of Consumer Advocates 
• Norfolk County Bar Association LRS 
• Worcester County Bar Association LRS 

You can get an updated list of bar associations that help people find lawyers at Mass. Legal Resource Finder

Also, you may be able to find low-cost legal representation from these organizations:

• Justice Bridge, U Mass School of Law (with Boston and South Coast offices)
• Lawyers for Affordable Justice 

 

Limited Assistance Representation

You can hire an attorney for a specific part of your case, without paying the attorney for the whole case, if the attorney agrees. This is called “limited assistance representation” or “LAR.” This option may allow you to afford a lawyer for an important part of your case without committing to pay the lawyer over a long period of time. When you speak to lawyers about the possibility of representing you, you can ask if they are willing to represent you on a limited basis through LAR. 

To read more about this option, visit Limited Assistance Representation for the Public

Court Service Centers

Court Service Centers are located in Boston, Brockton, Greenfield, Lawrence, Lowell, Springfield, and Worcester. Staff at these Centers can give you legal information but not legal advice. In other words, staff can tell you how the court works and what legal options you may have, in a general way, but they cannot help you decide what to do or predict what will happen in your particular case. Court staff do not represent you or any other person or entity in a case, and so they are not limited to giving information only to one party; they can give information to any party in a case.

Court Service Centers are currently closed because of the COVID–19 pandemic, but you can contact them remotely through Zoom, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

• Videoconference access via Zoom
• Telephone access: [phone] (Meeting ID: 1615261140)

Learn more about Court Service Centers.

Date published:	November 15, 2021