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Credit Defense Hub

Free help directory

Free and low-cost bankruptcy help, by state

Short answer

Free bankruptcy help generally comes from three places: the federal bankruptcy court’s own pro se or pro bono program, an LSC-funded legal aid organization, and the state bar’s referral service. The first two are free to people who qualify. A bar referral is not free legal help — many charge a set consultation fee. This page lists all three for 30 states, with each organization’s official link and the date it was checked.

Good to know

What this page is not. This is not a ranking, not a rating, and not a recommendation of any organization. Credit Defense Hub is not a law firm, not a lawyer referral service, and not a lead generator; we take no payment from anyone listed here, and nothing on this page is legal advice. The organizations set their own eligibility rules — always confirm current details on their own page, which is what every link below goes to. Compiled by Credit Defense Hub. We are not a law firm, not a lawyer referral service and not a lead generator; no organization listed here pays to appear, and we receive nothing if you contact one. Every entry names an ORGANISATION, never an individual attorney or a firm, and every entry carries the official URL it was read from and the date it was checked. This is legal information, not legal advice.

Start here, in any state

By state

Researched so far: 30 of 55, carrying 162 organizations. A state missing below is one we have not researched it yet — that is a gap in our research, and not a finding that no free bankruptcy help exists there. The national starting points above cover every state.

Not researched yet: Alaska, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Alabama

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama

Court pro bono program

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Arizona

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Arizona

Court self-help center

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Arizona — Self-Help Center

    The court provides walk-in Self Help Centers in Phoenix and Tucson; the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Arizona provides volunteer attorneys who consult with individuals about bankruptcy for 20 to 30 minutes without charge, by appointment only.

    Serves District of Arizona · Verified 2026-09-05 · source

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

California

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of California, Eastern District of California, Central District of California, Southern District of California

Court pro bono program

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Colorado

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Colorado

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Connecticut

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Connecticut

Court pro bono program

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Connecticut — Bankruptcy Pro Bono Program

    A Pro Bono Panel represents qualified individuals in chapter 7 cases, contested matters and adversary proceedings when they have demonstrated a lack of adequate resources to retain counsel; eligibility criteria and the application are administered by the Connecticut Bar Association.

    Serves District of Connecticut · Verified 2026-09-05 · source

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Florida

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Georgia

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Georgia, Middle District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Illinois

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Indiana

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Kentucky

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Louisiana

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Massachusetts

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Massachusetts

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

  • Massachusetts Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service

    The bar's page states there is no cost to use the referral service but that referrals are made to fee-charging attorneys, who may charge no more than $25 for the initial half-hour consultation, and that the service does not offer free or pro bono services.

    Serves District of Massachusetts · Verified 2026-09-05 · source

Maryland

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Maryland

Court pro bono program

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland — Legal Assistance

    The court's page states that an individual debtor who is unable to afford an attorney may qualify for pro bono (no cost) or reduced fee legal representation, and that the court maintains lists of attorneys who have agreed to consult with low income debtors for a reduced or deferred fee.

    Serves District of Maryland · Verified 2026-09-05 · source

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Michigan

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Minnesota

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Minnesota

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Missouri

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

North Carolina

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

New Jersey

Federal bankruptcy district: District of New Jersey

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

New York

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Ohio

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Oklahoma

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Oklahoma, Eastern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Oregon

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Oregon

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Pennsylvania

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania

Court pro bono program

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

South Carolina

Federal bankruptcy district: District of South Carolina

Court pro bono program

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of South Carolina — Free Legal Clinics

    South Carolina Legal Services conducts free monthly clinics for low income individuals who qualify under certain income guidelines, and the South Carolina Bar's Pro Bono Program conducts free monthly clinics for individuals who do not otherwise qualify.

    Serves District of South Carolina · Verified 2026-09-05 · source

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Tennessee

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Texas

Federal bankruptcy districts: Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Utah

Federal bankruptcy district: District of Utah

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Virginia

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Washington

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington

Court pro bono program

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

Wisconsin

Federal bankruptcy districts: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin

Court self-help center

Legal aid (LSC-funded)

Bar association referral service

How this list is built

  • SOURCE ORDER. Entries come only from (a) a federal bankruptcy court's own *.uscourts.gov site, (b) the Legal Services Corporation (lsc.gov), (c) a state bar's own site, or (d) a state-government legal-help portal. No commercial directory, law-firm site or lead-generation site is used as a source anywhere in this dataset.
  • COURT ENTRIES WERE READ, NOT GUESSED. Every court-pro-bono and self-help-center entry was fetched from the court's own site on the verification date and its published wording read; where the page states an eligibility rule, that rule is quoted or closely paraphrased in `note` and nothing is added. Where a court's page turned out to be an unfilled template or carried no free-help content, the entry was dropped rather than published.
  • LEGAL AID = LSC GRANTEES. Legal-aid organisations are LSC-funded programs that appear BOTH on lsc.gov's published grantee directory AND in the live locator data file lsc.gov serves at /themes/lsc/scripts/find-legal-aid-leaflet/Programs.json, from which the organisation's own website address is transcribed verbatim. Organisations that appeared in only one of the two lsc.gov sources were left out. Where the address LSC publishes no longer resolves, the organisation is listed only if a federal bankruptcy court page names the same organisation and its current address (this applies to Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas).
  • BAR REFERRAL LINKS are the bar association's own public page. Most were carried forward from src/data/bankruptcy-courts.json's barReferral field and re-checked live on the verification date; the rest were read off a federal court page that cites them, or located on the bar's own domain and re-checked. A referral service is not free legal help: several charge a set consultation fee, and where the bar's own page says so, `note` records it.
  • NO PHONE NUMBERS. This dataset deliberately records URLs only. A stale phone number is the most dangerous thing a directory like this can carry, and a URL can be re-checked automatically; every entry therefore points at a page the organisation itself controls.
  • HONEST GAPS. Coverage is 30 states, not 50, and within those states not every federal district has a court entry. Kentucky and Oklahoma carry no court entry because their courts' pro se pages were not read end-to-end in this pass. Tennessee's Eastern District page was reviewed and dropped: it is an unfilled site template. Nothing was invented to fill a gap.
  • COURT KEYS ARE SHARED, NOT DUPLICATED. `servesDistricts` values are the same district identifiers used by src/data/bankruptcy-courts.json and src/data/bankruptcy-filings-2026.json (AO Table F-2 form, e.g. "CA,C"). This dataset stores no court addresses, county lists or court URLs of its own.

Whole list last verified 2026-09-05. Primary sources: LSC grantee directory (organisation names, by state) · LSC "I Need Legal Help" locator (organisation websites) · U.S. Courts — Filing Without an Attorney · U.S. Courts — court website links (court locator) · District identifiers and court records

Strongly consider talking to a professional

If your situation involves a lawsuit, court deadline, garnishment, or a decision you cannot undo, a licensed attorney in your state can give advice this site cannot. Many offer free consultations, and you may qualify for free help from legal aid or your state bar lawyer referral service.

Educational information — not advice

This topic involves court deadlines and rights you can permanently lose.

This page provides general educational information about credit, debt, and consumer protections. It is not legal advice, financial advice, or credit repair services, and reading it does not create any professional relationship. Laws, procedures, deadlines, and dollar amounts vary by state and change over time.

Before acting or deciding not to act, strongly consider consulting a licensed attorney in your state. If cost is a concern, legal aid organizations may help for free. See our full disclaimer.

Related: find your federal bankruptcy court · what a bankruptcy attorney does, and what filing costs