The State Bar of Arizona is celebrating the nationally recognized Law Day by offering community members in Tucson and Phoenix free legal clinics where they can get questions answered about a number of topics.

The clinics are expected to draw in more people this year, the second time they're being held, and will include bilingual classes to better serve the Spanish-speaking community in Arizona. This year’s topics—immigration; divorce; child support and paternity issues; bankruptcy and foreclosure issues; landlord and tenant issues; and probate and guardianship issues—were selected based on consumer demand.

That demand was measured by hotline phone calls that came in throughout the year. Alberto Rodriguez, of the communications department of State Bar Arizona, said the Spanish classes allow the State Bar Arizona to be inclusive of all community members. All immigration sessions will be bilingual as well as a few of the family law clinics in heavily Hispanic populated areas in Phoenix.

Rodriguez said he expects the immigration sessions to have a big turnout because of all the coverage the topic has been getting in the media. The clinics will hopefully also teach attendees at the immigration sessions to not fall for fraudulent attorneys who claim to have training which they don’t.

“We want to make sure that we’re answering the immigrants’ questions in a safe environment,” Rodriguez said. “So really it’s just a way for them to get informed on how to take care of their immigration status, apply for immigration and do it the right way.”

The law clinics are each 50 minute sessions and begin with an information overview followed by a question and answer section and if it’s still necessary attorneys will sit one-on-one with the community member to help.

The event is Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the State Bar Arizona Southern Regional Office, 270 N. Church Ave. Ste. 100. All clinics are free.

For more information about Tucson's five sessions visit:
http://www.azbar.org/legalhelpandeducation/lawday/lawdaytucson