It's late, the courthouse is closed, and you need to know where you stand under Indiana law tonight. Call 1-844-690-0555 free, any hour. Our AI legal assistant is trained on Indiana and federal law and will talk through your situation in plain English — an OWI stop near Indianapolis, an eviction in Fort Wayne, a DCS letter in Evansville. It's legal information, not advice. If you need representation, we can book you a licensed Indiana attorney.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Indiana.
If you need help right now anywhere in Indiana, call 1-844-690-0555 — it's free, 24/7, with no income test. Just arrested in Indianapolis? Say you want a lawyer, stop talking, and don't agree to anything until you've spoken to one. Pulled over for OWI on I-65, I-69 or I-70? Refusing the certified chemical test triggers an automatic license suspension under Indiana's implied-consent rules. Just got an eviction notice or a CHINS letter from DCS? Write down every deadline. Then call us — our AI assistant explains how Indiana handles your situation in plain English (information, not advice), and we can book you a licensed Indiana attorney if you need one.
If you were hurt in an Indiana accident, one rule decides whether you recover anything: the Comparative Fault Act (IC 34-51-2). If you're 51% or more at fault, you get nothing; at 50% or less, your damages drop by your percentage. Here's the trap most people never hear about: claims against a city, county or the State of Indiana are NOT covered by the Act — under the Indiana Tort Claims Act they fall back on old-style contributory negligence, where even 1% of your own fault bars all recovery. A crash with a county truck or on poorly maintained government property is a completely different case, and the notice deadlines are short. Don't guess your percentage. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information, then book an Indiana attorney.
Indiana has solid free and low-cost legal help, but most of it is income-gated and open only a few weekday hours — Indiana Legal Services' help line runs just 10am-2pm, and the state has no single statewide referral number, so people get bounced around a patchwork of county bars. That's the gap our free 24/7 line fills for the after-hours, just-arrested, just-served moment. Here are the legitimate Indiana resources worth knowing, alongside our hotline.
Wherever you are in Indiana, the line is free and answered 24/7 — including:
Is the Indiana Legal Hotline really free, and what do I actually get?
Yes. Calling 1-844-690-0555 is free, 24/7, with no income test and no hold queue. You speak with our AI legal assistant, trained on Indiana and federal law, which talks through your situation in plain English — an OWI stop, an eviction, a DCS letter, a custody question. What you get is legal information, not legal advice, and we are not a law firm. If you decide you need someone to advise you or stand up in an Indiana court, we can connect you with a licensed Indiana attorney and book a paid consultation. That part is your choice, with no pressure.
I just got pulled over for OWI on I-65 near Indianapolis. What now?
Indiana calls it OWI — Operating While Intoxicated — under Title 9, not DUI. The per se limit is .08 BAC, and Indiana's implied-consent law means refusing the officer's certified chemical test triggers an automatic license suspension on top of any charge. Because Indiana is the Crossroads of America, a lot of OWI stops happen to out-of-state drivers on I-65, I-69, I-70 or the I-465 loop, far from home. Be polite, don't argue at the roadside, and write down everything you remember as soon as you can. Then call 1-844-690-0555 — we'll explain how Indiana handles your situation (information, not advice) and can book an OWI attorney.
Can I get my record expunged in Indiana?
Possibly. Indiana's Second Chance Law (IC 35-38-9) lets many people petition to expunge or seal arrests and convictions — including some misdemeanor OWI offenses — after set waiting periods, commonly 5 years for misdemeanors and 8 years for lower-level (Level 6) felonies, with longer waits or ineligibility for more serious crimes. The catch: it's largely a 'one bite' system — generally one expungement petition per lifetime, filed in the county of conviction — so getting it right the first time matters enormously. Offenses involving serious bodily injury or death, and certain sex and violent crimes, are excluded. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information on whether you may qualify, then book an Indiana attorney to file.
How does divorce work in Indiana, and how long does it take?
Indiana calls divorce 'dissolution,' governed by Title 31. Most cases proceed on the no-fault ground of 'irretrievable breakdown of the marriage,' though a few fault grounds remain. There's a mandatory 60-day waiting period from filing before a dissolution can be finalized, so even an agreed case takes at least two months. Indiana also recognizes the unusual doctrine of 'comparative rectitude' — where both spouses have grounds, the court can grant the divorce to the one least at fault. Disputes over property, custody and support add time. Call 1-844-690-0555 to understand your situation, then book an Indiana family lawyer.
DCS contacted me about my kids — what is a CHINS case?
CHINS stands for Child In Need of Services — Indiana's term, under Title 31, for child-welfare proceedings when the Department of Child Services alleges neglect or abuse and may seek removal. Many parents search for help without ever hearing the acronym. A CHINS case is separate from any criminal charges or custody dispute, but it can run alongside them, and the deadlines move fast. Do not ignore DCS paperwork. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free, plain-English information on what a CHINS case involves (information, not advice), and we can book a licensed Indiana attorney quickly.
I live in Northwest Indiana near Chicago — which courts handle my case?
If your legal issue arises in Lake or Porter County — Gary, Hammond, Crown Point and the rest of Northwest Indiana — you use Indiana courts, not Illinois ones, even though you live in the Chicago orbit and may work across the state line. Lake County cases are typically handled at the courthouses in Crown Point and East Chicago/Hammond. This trips up a lot of people who assume Illinois rules apply. Indiana law and Indiana deadlines govern. Call 1-844-690-0555 to get clear on which court and what's required, then book a licensed Indiana attorney for your Lake or Porter County matter.
I was in a car accident in Indiana. Can I still recover if it was partly my fault?
Indiana uses modified comparative fault under the Comparative Fault Act (IC 34-51-2). If you're 50% or less at fault you can recover, with damages reduced by your percentage; at 51% or more, you recover nothing. But watch the trap: claims against a government entity — a city, county or the State — fall outside the Act and use old-style contributory negligence under the Indiana Tort Claims Act, where even 1% of your own fault bars all recovery, and the notice deadlines are short. So a crash with a county vehicle is a very different fight. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information, then book an Indiana injury attorney.
It's the middle of the night and every legal-aid line is closed. Can you help?
That's exactly who this line is built for. Indiana Legal Services runs only 10am-2pm on weekdays and is income-gated; the state has no single statewide referral number, pushing people through a confusing patchwork of county bars; and individual firms answer business hours only. Courthouses across Indiana's 92 counties and the rural 'legal desert' areas are closed at night. Our line at 1-844-690-0555 is free, 24/7, with no income test — you can talk through your Indiana situation in plain English right now (information, not advice), and book a licensed attorney later when offices reopen.
Do I need a lawyer, or can I handle this myself in Indiana?
Indiana supports self-represented litigants well — IndianaLegalHelp.org and the Judicial Branch Self-Service Legal Center offer form packets, and Marion County's township small-claims courts are designed for everyday people. For many minor or uncontested matters, you can do it yourself. But for OWI charges, contested custody, a CHINS case, an injury claim involving the fault rules, or anything criminal, the stakes usually justify a lawyer. The honest first step is understanding where your case falls. Call 1-844-690-0555 for free information, and if it warrants it, we can book a licensed Indiana attorney.
Licensed in Indiana and want vetted client matches from Indianapolis to the rural 'legal desert' counties? We connect callers to attorneys through compliant, flat-fee advertising arrangements consistent with the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct (Rules 7.1-7.3) — never per-referral fee-splitting. Get in touch to join.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Whether you're stopped on I-465, facing a CHINS letter in Fort Wayne, or served with eviction papers in Evansville, you don't have to figure it out alone tonight. Call 1-844-690-0555 free, 24/7. Get clear legal information about your Indiana situation in plain English — no income test, no hold music — then choose whether to book a licensed Indiana attorney. Legal information, not legal advice. We're not a law firm. We're the first call when you don't know who else to call.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.