Basic Legal Information

Neighborhood Legal Services provides free legal assistance to residents of Essex county, Massachusetts. This site offers you access to hundreds of legal information articles and fact sheets. The information available generally applies to Massachusetts as a whole. Click on a topic below or to the left to see what's available. The items below are ones that are new or that we thought might be of special interest right now but clicking the categories to the left will give you access to hundreds more. Click on "about us" above to learn more about NLS and its work. Check out the "my bookshelf" link above where you can collect the documents most useful to you on your own personalized page. We hope you find the information available here useful and informative. For loyal users of our old site, we hope you like the improvements we've made. Let us know what you think!

	Sort By: Title		Date
	Abuse and Neglect: Your Rights and DSS
		Information about your rights when being investigated for child abuse or neglect by DSS - the Department of Social Services.
	Capítulo 8. Separación y Divorcio		10/1/2003
	Chapter 5. 209A Protective Orders		10/1/2003
	Child Custody and Visitation		3/4/2004
		Definitions, arrangements, how court decisions are made, and a discussion of visitation in custody cases, including information about impact of domestic violence in custody and visitation decisions.
	Divorcio y las Alternativas		8/1/1999
	How to Fill Out a Financial Statement		4/1/1999
		Walks through a Financial Statement (Probate & Family Court) and how to fill it out.
	Massachusetts Voters' Bill of Rights		11/1/2004
	Separation and Divorce
		Answers to common questions about separation and divorce.
	Su guía a Las Citaciones- Cuáles son, Cómo Pueden Ayudarle, y Cómo Servirlas		3/8/2002
		Your Guide to Subpoenas– What they are, How they can help you, and How to serve them (in Spanish)
	Your Guide to Subpoenas - What they are, How they can help you, and How to serve them		8/1/2002

Recent Documents:
	***SSA Redbook on Work Incentives, 2007 edition (with link to 2006 Red Book in Spanish)		8/8/2007
		work incentives, work expenses, trial work, ticket to work, PASS, subsidy, IRWE, substantial gainful activity
	Earnings Required for a Quarter of Coverage (1978-2007)		1/9/2007
	FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS OF DISABILITIES IN EMPLOYMENT (DLC 8/06)		8/28/2006
	SSA Form for Plan for Achieving Self-Support (SSA-545)		8/11/2006
		PASS
	SSA Request for Waiver of Overpayment Form (SSA-632)		8/10/2006
		Use this form to request a Waiver of an overpayment or a change in the rate at which SSA recoups the overpayment. By requesting a waiver, you admit that there is an overpayment but are claiming that you should not have to pay it back. DO NOT USE THIS FORM TO APPEAL AN OVERPAYMENT THAT YOU THINK IS INCORRECT OR FOR THE WRONG AMOUNT. TO APPEAL OVERPAYMENTS, USE THE REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION FORM (see Appeal Forms in this Section). THE REQUEST FOR WAIVER CAN BE FILED AFTER THE APPEAL IS RESOLVED. There is no deadline for requesting a waiver, but there is a 60 deadline for filing a Request for Reconsideration.