Getting Help from Pine Tree Legal Assistance
- What Kind of Services Are Provided by Pine Tree?
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- What types of cases does Pine Tree Help with?
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- What Kind of Cases are a Priority?
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Who is Eligible for your
Services?
- How Many Staff and Offices Do You Currently Have?
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- Are Program Services Subject to Performance
Standards or Monitored for Quality and Effectiveness?
Contact an Office
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WHAT KIND OF SERVICES ARE PROVIDED BY PINE TREE?
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Pine Tree Legal provides free legal help to low-income people living in Maine.
There is no charge for our services, but you may be asked to help with court costs.
By federal requirement, most Pine Tree services are limited to people whose household
incomes are at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Recent estimates indicate
that roughly 230,000 Maine residents qualify for assistance -- roughly 20% of the Maine
population. However, some grants have different eligibility requirements.
The type of service provided by Pine Tree depends largely on the type of legal problem
facing the individual client. Most clients get immediate advice on their problem,
including things they could do in order to resolve the problem on their own. Some receive
written materials which provide a more detailed information on common legal problems and
solutions. Others are referred to an agency or service which can more appropriately
resolve their immediate crisis or long-term problems.
Less than twenty percent of all cases involve extended representation, and most
of these are resolved through negotiation with the other side without the need for a
hearing. The majority of legal problems brought to our attention are resolved within 30
days of the initial request for Pine Tree's assistance. However, if Pine Tree does take a
case to a final hearing, our clients win nine out of ten times.
Get our outreach fliers in 10 languages
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WHAT TYPES OF CASES DOES PINE TREE HELP WITH?
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WHAT KIND OF CASES ARE A PRIORITY?
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Over 60,000 people contact Pine Tree each year seeking help but Pine Tree only has
sufficient staff to respond to twenty percent of those requests. Staff resources are
allocated according to a list of the most pressing or serious legal problems facing
low-income individuals in Maine. This list is regularly reviewed by the Pine Tree Board of
Directors.
In order to develop the list, periodic surveys are conducted of low-income individuals
around the State, as well as the staff of social service agencies, legislators and
Congressional offices, court officials and other individuals whose work provides insight
into the legal needs facing low-income Mainers. The surveys identify the most frequent
problems faced by low- income people and invite comment on the most serious problems
needing legal attention. Using this information, the Board of Directors then develops an
updated list of priorities for the organization. The last needs assessment was
completed in 2006.
The cases currently receiving our top priority involve the preservation of housing and related
housing needs; maintaining, enhancing and protecting income and economic stability;
improving outcomes for children; and personal safety, stability and well-being. Pine Tree
does not take criminal cases.
Download Pine Tree's Priorities
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HOW MANY STAFF AND OFFICES DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE?
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As of January 1, 2008, Pine Tree was staffed by 56 individuals. Thirty-one of the staff
are full or part-time attorneys, including several who work in administrative positions
within the program.
Pine Tree maintains six permanent field offices in Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor,
Machias and Presque Isle. Pine Tree operates special statewide units for services to
Native Americans and migrant farmworkers from its location in Bangor. Pine Tree also staffs
and provides substantial funding for the Volunteer Lawyers
Project (VLP), which organizes the pro bono contributions of private attorneys to
expand upon the legal services available from Pine Tree staff. Pine Tree’s statewide project,
KIDS LEGAL, operates with 5 staff from offices in
Portland and Bangor.
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ARE PROGRAM SERVICES SUBJECT TO PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OR MONITORED FOR QUALITY
AND EFFECTIVENESS?
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In 1993, Pine Tree voluntarily adopted standards of performance which govern the way in
which program services are provided. These standards are modeled on national ABA standards
regarding the handling of caseloads, client communications and similar issues. Pine Tree
regularly updates its Standards of Practice. Experienced staff attorneys also conduct
periodic reviews of staff work to insure that these standards are being met. In addition,
the federal funder, the Legal Services Corporation, periodically conducts performance reviews
based on federal standards for legal services programs. Pine Tree was one of the first
programs in the United States to be measured according to these new standards, using
a national team of private attorneys, legal services staff and agency directors who spent
a week in Maine and interviewed over 60 staff members, clients, private attorneys and judges.
The team concluded that
"The quality of the legal services Pine Tree provides is of the highest
caliber, and the results obtained for clients, given the Program's limited resources,
are extraordinary."
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