General Info:
Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMo) has been providing essential legal services to low-income citizens since 1964. LAWMo staff attorneys, paralegals and volunteers assist over 20, 000 people each year with problems that seriously affect their ability to provide for themselves and their families. With that level of service, it is important that the community be aware of organization's mission and activities LAWMO Annual Report (pdf file Since its establishment as a not-for-profit organization, LAWMo has maintained and followed the same mission: to provide the highest quality legal services to individuals, families and groups faced with economic barriers in obtaining civil legal representation. Services are available to those living below the poverty level in a 40 county area in western Missouri. However, due to limited funding, LAWMo must set strict priorities for the type of cases it can accept. Priority is given to cases involving housing, employment, domestic abuse, immigration, consumer problems and public benefits. LAWMo does not accept fee-generating cases. Clients are not charged attorney fees but are required to pay court costs and filing fees when applicable. In addition to individual casework, LAWMo's staff attorneys and paralegals maintain special projects designed to concentrate services in areas of particular concern the client community. Taking advantage of the benefits of centralization and specialization, these projects increase the impact of LAWMo services on the problems common to each and enable the organization ultimately serve more clients LAWMo clients are people who have nowhere else to turn, who without the legal assistance LAWMo can provide, would likely become homeless statistics or worse. LAWMo works to ensure there is equal access to justice for those without the ability to pay. LAWMo gratefully acknowledges the help and support of each community throughout western Missouri whose disadvantaged citizens it serves.