6 Barriers To Seeking And Receiving Legal Assistance
When you’re seeking an attorney, you don’t go for anyone who has a law degree out there. There are several kinds of legal counsel specializing in cybercrime, personal injury, and criminal law, among others. However, how to pick a lawyer can be challenging, as there are other factors to consider apart from their expertise, including their experience, their retainer fees, and how near they are to you.
In this post, you’ll learn some of the barriers that exist when seeking and receiving legal help.
1. Communication Barriers
While everyone is assured of legal counsel according to their state’s constitution, there are communication difficulties between lawyers and people who have cognitive impairment. Additionally, some individuals may have communication barriers because of illiteracy, resulting in challenges explaining their stories to attorneys or understanding the legal advice they’re given by their lawyers. Lack of understanding of legal instructions could lead to acts that could stifle the success of a legal case.2. Lack Of Understanding Legal Rights
Many individuals lack the awareness that the problem they’re facing has got a legal solution. For instance, many people suffer from marital violence from their spouses. Yet only a very small percentage takes the bold step of seeking help from a court of law. Mostly, you’ll find that these individuals lack the knowledge that there’s a way they can get help through legal means.Moreover, some people suffer from injury either at the workplace or from a road incident. But some victims don’t know that they can get compensation for their injury. Such individuals end up being impaired and unable to pay their medical bills because they’re in the dark about what they can do.
3. High Legal Fees
Because of poverty, some individuals may find it difficult to raise the legal fees required to hire a lawyer. For you to begin a court process, you need to have a fee to file your case. Additionally, you’d also have to pay your lawyer a service fee to represent and defend you during the hearing of your case. Apart from these expenses, there might be other costs incurred such as travel costs, which your lawyer may require you to cover these expenses.The total cost of such demands could be thousands of dollars. To some people, the high legal fees can deter them from getting the justice they deserve. Many people are suffering out there because they lack the financial ability to get legal help for their problems. Fortunately, there are legal counsel out there who are open to pro bono work.
4. Fear Of Retribution
The fear of retribution might be a hindrance to many who want to seek legal help. This can be the case in situations where the affected individual is a dependent of the perpetrator of an offense—for instance, someone might be sexually abused by a parent or guardian for a long time. However, they might be afraid to divulge any information that could help their case. Even in situations where an individual can get pro bono services, these affected individuals won’t come out to voice their troubles.Another situation concerns the physically challenged or the elderly who are staying in hospice or retirement homes. Such individuals may be subjected to mental torture for a long time, to the extent of causing physical illness. But because they don’t know where else they can stay, they end up living under the same circumstances that aren’t conducive to them.
5. Depending On Others To Take Action
One good example is people with disabilities. Because of their inability probably to talk, see, or move, they might depend on other individuals to raise their concerns to the relevant authorities. In some circumstances, individuals with severe disabilities may not be permitted to appear in courts, unless they get a third party to appear on their behalf.6. Corruption
This is a chronic situation that’s affecting many nations. Some courts or officers of the court may require the plaintiff to part with a large amount of money as compensation to get their case moving. Additionally, the accused could corrupt the justice system by bribing officers of the court to acquit them from bearing liability of an offense. Consequently, the affected party may end up failing to get justice.Conclusion
Legal assistance is important for every injured individual who can only get recompense from a court of law. However, not many individuals have the privilege of getting the much-needed justice they deserve. If someone can’t afford legal expenses or get pro bono legal services, they may end up suffering in silence. Nonetheless, working to lower the barriers illustrated in this post can help many people seek and get legal assistance.Do You Need An Attorney?
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Posted - 08/04/2021
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