Legal
NASW Legal Defense Fund Helpdesk
The Legal Defense Fund (“LDF”) Helpdesk is a free resource to our members to help answer general legal questions prevalent to social workers. We are unable to provide specific legal advice or represent members in legal proceedings. However, we support members by offering helpful resources and guidance to common legal concerns.
We receive common questions regarding licensing board complaints, responding to subpoenas, and confidentiality. Our helpdesk is managed by our paralegals who are supervised by attorneys.
The LDF Helpdesk is an opportunity for members to call in and receive general legal resources for their questions. We are open Tuesday and Thursdays from 9:30am-12pm and 2pm-4:30pm ET and can be reached at 800-742-4089.
In addition to the LDF Helpdesk we also provide informational articles to common legal concerns through our Legal Issues page. Below are popular issues our members contact us about.
We look forward to your call! As a reminder, if you need specific legal advice, please contact a licensed attorney in your state. If you need assistance finding an attorney, please contact your state bar association for referrals.
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Illinois State Bar Association Lawyer Finder: https://www.isba.org/public/illinoislawyerfinder
NASW Legal Defense Fund
The NASW Legal Defense Fund (LDF) was established in 1972 to provide financial legal assistance and support for legal cases and issues of concern to NASW members and the social work profession. LDF offers educational programs to improve the legal status and knowledge of social workers.
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Legal Issue of the Month—Recent articles
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Further archives: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Legal/Legal-Issue-of-the-Month
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Frequently Asked Questions
I received a subpoena—what now? For more information about subpoenas, review Legal Issue of the Month, Quick Reference Guide for Responding to a Subpoena, and Social Workers, HIPAA, and Subpoenas.
I need legal advice. While the association and chapters cannot provide specific legal advice to your situations, we do suggest contacting your liability insurance to find out what is and is not covered by your plan. If you purchased your liability insurance through NASW Assurance Services, contact them here. Please note that the we at the local state chapter do not have access to any information pertaining to your liability insurance policies.