Carroll County residents who would like help with legal issues such as eviction, divorce and custody, orders of protection and more will have an opportunity to speak with licensed attorneys at no cost on Friday, Aug. 2.
Legal Aid of Arkansas will present the “Carroll County Legal Help Desk” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Carroll County Eastern District Courthouse, located at 210 W. Church Ave. in Berryville.
Attorneys from Legal Aid of Arkansas’ Springdale office will be on hand.
Berryville High School graduate Mary Kennedy Jackson helped lead the project. Jackson, who will start her second year at the University of Arkansas School of Law in the fall, has worked at Legal Aid this summer.
“Legal Aid is just a nonprofit law firm that provides legal services for free to low-income citizens in Arkansas,” Jackson said. “But what’s cool about the help desk is attorneys are on side to provide attendees with legal information and pro se legal documents and resources. But where normally you would have to meet certain financial requirements, anyone can get free legal help at the help desk.”
Jackson said Legal Aid used to hold a weekly help desk in Fayetteville but recently lost the funding for that event.
“Everyone was really upset because it’s such a great opportunity for people in the community,” she said. “And they also had discussed the problem of needing to reach out to the rural communities. They wanted to get help to communities in their district. So we decided to start one in Carroll County, and hopefully this will be a routine thing if we get good turnout for it.”
Jackson, the daughter of Carroll County Circuit Judge Scott Jackson and his wife, Missy, said she is pursuing a career in law as a way to serve her community.
“I honestly just wanted to help people and have the opportunity to give back to my community,” she said. “Especially working at Legal Aid this summer, it’s been a great way to see that you can give back with a legal education.”
For more information about the Legal Help Desk, call 1-800-9529243.
