Although legal assistance is something that every person should have, it was not available to everyone before lawyers and democratic governments. People didn’t have much access or control over the law, and they didn’t even have much say in it.

Legal Assistance Day is a day that aims to educate people about the value of lawyers in their communities and gives them the opportunity to resolve legal issues.

Although legal assistance has been a significant step towards ensuring the rights of all people, where did it really start to emerge in society? The origins of legal aid can be traced back as far as the 1870s, when New York’s first legal assistance program was established.

It would take over a century for the United States federal government to integrate that system into its structure. In 1965, the Office of Economic Opportunity’s Legal Services was established. This helped to establish the independent Legal Service Corporation.

Over 260 legal services were created in each state to assist in the legal needs of over 10,000 people. The popularity of legal services grew tremendously in the 1980s. However, it was only until the 2000s when the structure had to be consolidated for the economic crash. This led to the development of community legal aid.

Legal Assistance Day was created to assist new legal graduates with job readiness training, resolve legal issues and help others in their community solve legal problems that they can’t handle.

Volunteers from the community help to host events and go to their offices to assist their lawyers in resolving legal disputes.

It’s also a time for appreciation of those who put in hours to resolve legal issues by taking the time and understanding the law to assist those in need.

Volunteer at your local attorney’s office to celebrate Legal Assistance Day. Find out if your local lawyer is hosting an event to celebrate Legal Assistance Day. Volunteer to organize it.

You can get legal help if you need it. Visit your local office to start working on your legal issues. You can even thank your lawyer by buying them a gift or taking them out for brunch if they are close friends.

Use the hashtag #legalassistanceday to share this holiday with friends and family. Let them know that this day is about appreciating legal services, regardless of income.