Free Legal Help for Kinship Care in Georgia

Guardianship petitions, custody disputes, and benefit appeals all involve legal processes that are hard to navigate alone. Georgia has several free legal aid organizations that specifically help kinship caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives raising children who aren't their own.

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP)

GLSP provides free civil legal assistance to low-income Georgians outside metro Atlanta. It handles kinship-related matters including:

• Guardianship petitions in probate court
• Custody modifications in superior court
• TANF and SNAP benefit denials and appeals
• Medicaid eligibility disputes
• Questions about caregiver Power of Attorney options; ask intake whether it can assist with your situation

Contact GLSP intake to learn its current eligibility criteria for your household and case.

To apply, call GLSP at 1-888-343-5260 or visit glsp.org or GeorgiaLegalAid.org.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society

For caregivers in the greater Atlanta area (Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton, and Cobb counties), Atlanta Legal Aid Society provides free legal representation on similar kinship care matters. Their family law unit handles guardianship filings, custody petitions, and administrative hearings for benefit denials.

Contact Atlanta Legal Aid intake to confirm current eligibility and ask what services are available for your situation.

Contact Atlanta Legal Aid at 404-524-5811 or through their online intake form.

GeorgiaLegalAid.org

This is the state's public legal information clearinghouse — a free website maintained by the legal aid community that provides plain-language guides on kinship care topics:

• How to file for temporary or permanent guardianship
• The difference between guardianship, custody, and Power of Attorney
• How legal relationships affect benefit eligibility
• How to appeal a TANF or SNAP denial

The site doesn't provide direct legal representation, but it's a solid starting point for understanding your options before contacting an attorney. The kinship care sections explain Georgia-specific rules and link to downloadable court forms.

Other Free Resources

Georgia Senior Legal Hotline: The hotline provides free legal advice and brief services for Georgia residents aged 60 and older. Call 1-800-434-5116 or 404-657-9915.

Pro bono attorneys through the State Bar of Georgia: The Georgia Pro Bono Resource Center connects low-income residents with volunteer attorneys. Cases involving kinship care, guardianship, and family law are common referrals.

Area Agencies on Aging: For local service and legal referrals, call the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 1-866-552-4464.

When You Need Legal Help

Not every kinship situation requires a lawyer. If you're raising a grandchild informally and the parents are cooperative, a Power of Attorney may be all you need — and you can execute one without legal representation under O.C.G.A. § 19-9-120.

But certain situations push you toward legal assistance:

• The parents are absent, incarcerated, or uncooperative and you need a guardianship or custody order
• DFCS has denied a benefit application and you want to appeal through a fair hearing
• You need to establish legal authority for a child's medical care in a non-emergency situation
• Someone is contesting your caregiving arrangement

Free legal aid organizations handle exactly these cases. Don't let the cost of a private attorney stop you from pursuing legal protections you and the child need.

For a detailed breakdown of how each legal arrangement (informal care, POA, guardianship, foster care) affects your access to financial benefits in Georgia, our kinship financial help guide maps the relationship between legal status and every available payment program.

See more Georgia guides →