What to expect from our intake process
Before you begin
Do you qualify for representation?
The first part of our intake is to see if you qualify for representation. These questions are required by our funders. At a minimum, our clients are each of the following:
- Live in Connecticut
- Over 18 years old
- Low-income as defined as having income of no more than 125% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines.
- Have or are perceived to have a mental health condition
- Receive or are eligible to receive treatment from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services or are eligible to receive treatment based on being a person of low-income and having a mental health condition
- Are inpatient at a state-operated psychiatric hospital (Capitol Region Mental Health Center, Community Mental Health Center, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center) -OR- reside in the community have a housing issue related to eviction prevention, public housing authority interventions, (including housing voucher issues) investigating housing denials and discrimination in obtaining or retaining housing and requesting reasonable accommodations.
The Intake Process
The second part of our intake will ask you questions about your legal issue. You may need to share documentation with our office for an attorney to review. We need to know who else is involved in your issue, a psychiatrist, clinician, social worker, landlord, housing authority, etc.
After the intake is complete
Depending on your legal issue, some intake questionnaires may take up to an hour to complete as the attorneys rely on information and documentation. Do not start the intake unless you can complete it. You cannot return to complete an unfinished intake.
A completed intake does not mean that Connecticut Legal Rights Project has agreed to represent you. That would require a retainer agreement signed by you and a representative from CLRP.
Due to a lack of available resources and staff, CLRP attorneys and paralegals will only offer representation in cases that have substantial legal merit and cannot accept every case.
- We may lack staffing capacity to accept your request.
- Your legal issue may not fit within the priorities of our legal organization.
- We may offer education and advice for you to resolve your issue on your own.
- We may refer you to a more suitable resource.
- CLRP is not permitted to appear as legal counsel in cases where the court appoints an attorney for the person, but we will actively collaborate with appointed counsel on behalf of our clients.
How and when will your request be reviewed?
CLRP attorneys and paralegal advocates meet weekly to determine review requests for legal representation. Typically, this occurs on Mondays. If Monday is a holiday, staff will consider requests on Tuesdays.
CLRP DOES NOT ACCEPT the requests for representation in the following legal issues:
- divorce
- custody
- parental termination
- child in need of care
- wills/estates
- workers’ compensation
- unemployment compensation
- immigration
- criminal defense cases (or other cases where people are entitled to court-appointed lawyers)
- personal injury
- Social Security
- special education
- cases not substantially related to a person’s mental health condition.
