How Do I Get Legal Help?
If you're already familiar with our complaint process, click here for a complaint form. (This is a PDF document that you can download, print, complete, and mail to us.)
If you're not familiar with our complaint process, here are the steps to resolving a civil liberties problem with the help of the ACLU-Vermont.
1. File a complaint with our office. Click here for a complaint form (this is a PDF document that you can download, print, complete, and mail to us) or call -- 223-6304 -- and we will mail you one.
2. Each complaint is reviewed by staff to see whether it constitutes a civil liberties problem with which ACLU-VT may be able to help. If so, then ...
3. The ACLU-VT Legal Advisory Panel reviews all potential cases referred by staff. Cases the panel considers appropriate for legal action are brought before the ACLU-VT Board of Directors. Then ...
4. The ACLU-VT Board of Directors votes whether or not to accept the case. If the board does accept the case, then ...
5. A volunteer, cooperating attorney is found to handle the case.
If the ACLU-VT declines a case, the complainant is informed as soon as possible by mail.
We have three main criteria for taking a case:
1. The case must involve a civil liberties issue.
2. The case must be one that affects not just the individual filing the complaint, but potentially a number of people with the same, or similar, problem.
3. The legal claims of the case have a reasonable chance of success if the case goes to trial.
We must be candid and say that we take only a fraction of the cases that come to us. Many of the complaints we receive do not meet one, or several, of the criteria above. Additionally, our resources are limited; most of our legal work is done by volunteer attorneys. We accept no payment from clients for our legal services.
Nationally, ACLU's annual caseload makes it the largest private law firm in the U.S. We are involved in more U.S. Supreme Court cases than any other nonprofit organization, except the government. Visit the national ACLU Web site's Supreme Court section for information about U.S. Supreme Court cases, current ACLU litigation, and hot legal topics.
A final note: Litigation is not the only way that civil liberties are protected. Many situations are resolved through quiet, behind-the-scenes negotiation.
Learn more about how we do our work. Click the topics that interest you.
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