Find a Lawyer or Free Legal Help in Alaska

Official places in Alaska to find a lawyer through the bar's referral service or to get free civil legal help if you have a low income. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.

Lawyer referral service	The Alaska Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service lists Alaska lawyers in good standing by practice area. A Lawyer Referral Service Assistant (not a lawyer, and unable to give legal advice) takes your name and a short description of the problem and gives you the names and phone numbers of up to three lawyers who handle that type of issue. Participating lawyers "will charge no more than $125 for the first half-hour of consultation"; later fees are agreed with the lawyer. The service does not rate lawyers and has no list of free or low-fee lawyers. Phone 907-272-0352, toll-free in Alaska 1-800-770-9999, email LRS@alaskabar.org; open 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Source: Alaska Bar Association, Lawyer Referral Service
Free legal aid	Alaska Legal Services Corporation is the LSC-funded civil legal aid organization for Alaska and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income Alaskans. The Alaska Court System's Self-Help Center offers free legal information and forms for people representing themselves. Court self-help: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/index.htm Source: Legal Services Corporation, Our Grantees; Alaska Court System Self-Help Center
Check that the lawyer is licensed	The Alaska Bar Association (840 K Street, Suite 100, Anchorage) offers an online lawyer directory on its Member Directories page for searching Alaska Bar members. Source: Alaska Bar Association, Member Directories
Check discipline history or file a complaint	Grievances about an Alaska lawyer go to the Alaska Bar Association. Review the bar's linked explanations first, then fill out the Attorney Grievance Form, print, sign and date it, and mail the original (no electronic, faxed or photocopied forms) to 840 K Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99501-3353, describing what the lawyer did or failed to do and attaching supporting documents. No filing fee is mentioned. Public discipline can be checked through the bar's Attorney Public Discipline Search; the bar also posts public notices regarding attorneys. Bar phone: 907-272-7469. Public discipline search: https://justiceweb.alaskabar.org/justiceweb Source: Alaska Bar Association, Complaints Against Attorneys
Rules on contingency fees	Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. A fee agreement that is wholly or partly contingent must be in writing and state the method for figuring the fee, including the percentage(s) to the lawyer on settlement, trial or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery, and whether expenses come out before or after the fee is calculated. Alaska adds that the written agreement must include the Rule 1.4(c) malpractice-insurance disclosure (required if the lawyer lacks coverage of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 aggregate) and state any costs, fees or expenses the client may owe the lawyer or the opposing party. At the end, the lawyer must give a written statement of the outcome and the client's share. Contingent fees are banned for criminal defendants and for domestic relations fees contingent on securing a divorce or on establishing or modifying alimony, support or a property settlement. Source: Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 1.4(c), 1.5(c)-(d)
If you disagree with a lawyer's bill	The Alaska Bar runs a fee arbitration program for disputes with a lawyer licensed in Alaska or over legal services in a matter conducted in Alaska. You must first try to resolve the dispute with the lawyer; it is not available when the fee was set by a court decision, statute or court rule. After the petition (mailed with an original signature) is filed, the lawyer gets a 10-day grace period to resolve it. Disputes of $5,000 or less are heard by one committee member; larger ones by a three-member panel including a non-lawyer. The decision is final and binding, and the hearing may proceed if a party fails to appear. If you hired the lawyer more than 3 years ago, you must explain the delay. Source: Alaska Bar Association, Attorney Fee Disputes
If a lawyer takes your money	The Alaska Bar's Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection, administered by the Board of Governors, can compensate people who lost money, property or other things of value because of a lawyer's dishonest conduct, if the loss is not covered by insurance or a bond and meets Alaska Bar Rule 45. The LFCP Committee investigates and the Board decides; compensation is in the Board's sole discretion. Source: Alaska Bar Association, Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection; Alaska Bar Rule 45

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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.