In short
The Legal Affairs Bureau (NAL) of the Department of Labor and Human Resources provides free legal representation to Puerto Rico workers before state courts and administrative forums. Its legal basis is Ley Núm. 15 of 14 April 1931, the DTRH’s Organic Act. The Department explains why it is needed: 65% of the cases the NAL handles are under $5,000, claims that are not cost-effective for private practice, so thousands of worker-complainants would be left without representation. The key thing to understand is how your case gets there: the NAL represents cases referred to it by five units of the Department itself — the Labor Standards Bureau, Chauffeurs’ Social Security, SINOT, the Antidiscrimination Unit and the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources. So the practical step is to file your claim with the right unit; the lawyer comes afterwards, with the referral.
What is it?
The NAL’s purpose is to protect workers’ rights, create balance in the relationship between workers and employers, and enforce labour laws, going to the courts and administrative forums in a timely way to claim workers’ rights. The Department stresses that its relevance grows because a considerable share of the country’s workforce is not collectively organized and lacks the protection of unions and collective agreements. Under current labour law, NAL lawyers represent the working class before state courts and administrative forums, and also bring claims on behalf of the DTRH and the working class before the Federal Bankruptcy Court.
Who can do it?
The NAL provides legal representation in cases referred to it by five Department units: the Labor Standards Bureau (NNT), Chauffeurs’ Social Security (Choferil), Temporary Non-Occupational Disability Insurance (SINOT), the Antidiscrimination Unit (UAD) and the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources. The page publishes no income threshold, no direct application form and no amount-in-controversy criterion for being represented; what it publishes is that referral route and the fact that 65% of the cases it handles are under $5,000.
Requirements
- That your case reach the NAL by referral from one of the five units: Labor Standards, Chauffeurs’ Social Security, SINOT, the Antidiscrimination Unit or the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Information pending verification.
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Understand how you get to the NAL
It is not an office you walk into to hire a lawyer. The NAL provides direct service through legal representation in cases referred to it by the Labor Standards Bureau, Chauffeurs’ Social Security, SINOT, the Antidiscrimination Unit and the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources. In other words: your case has to exist in one of those units first.
Step 2: File your claim with the unit that fits
If it is about wages, overtime, vacation, sick leave, Christmas bonus or dismissal, the unit is the Labor Standards Bureau. If it is employment discrimination, the Antidiscrimination Unit. If it is non-occupational disability, SINOT. If you are a chauffeur or a worker covered by Chauffeurs’ Social Security, that unit. This site has a separate guide for each of those routes.
Step 3: What NAL lawyers do with your case
They represent you before state courts and administrative forums. They also advise the Secretary of Labor on authorizing stipulations of wage claims processed by private lawyers or by the NNT itself, hold administrative hearings, and make recommendations to the Secretary on probable-cause discrimination determinations issued by the Antidiscrimination Unit. And they orient both employers and workers on Puerto Rico’s labour laws.
Step 4: If your employer filed for bankruptcy
This is the fact almost nobody knows and that can be the difference between collecting and not. NAL lawyers bring claims on behalf of the DTRH and the country’s working class before the Federal Bankruptcy Court. If the company you worked for closed or filed for bankruptcy owing you money, that forum exists and the Department appears in it.
Where to do it
You do not apply directly: the case reaches the Legal Affairs Bureau by referral from the Labor Standards Bureau, Chauffeurs’ Social Security, SINOT, the Antidiscrimination Unit or the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources. File your claim with the unit that matches your matter.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If a private lawyer told you your case is too small to take, that is exactly why the NAL exists: 65% of its cases are under $5,000. If your matter does not fall under any of the five referring units, this is not the route; the Mediation and Adjudication Office is a free forum where you can appear on your own behalf. This guide does not say whether the NAL takes every referred case, how long it takes, or on what criteria it decides to represent you: the page publishes none of that. Nor does it publish a phone number or email of the Bureau’s own, so contact runs through the unit where you filed. PRFácil gives no legal advice and represents nobody.
Common mistakes
- Going looking for the Legal Affairs Bureau directly instead of filing with the referring unit.
- Not filing because a private lawyer said the case was too small.
- Taking a discrimination case to the Labor Standards Bureau, or a wage case to the Antidiscrimination Unit.
- Writing off the money when the employer files for bankruptcy.
- Assuming the service has a cost: the Department describes it as free legal services.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The Department describes the NAL’s work as “the free legal services it has offered for decades”, and explains that its existence gives access to justice to a working class without resources.
How do I get represented?
By filing your claim with the appropriate unit. The NAL represents cases referred to it by the Labor Standards Bureau, Chauffeurs’ Social Security, SINOT, the Antidiscrimination Unit and the Auxiliary Secretariat of Human Resources.
My claim is for a small amount. Is it worth it?
65% of the cases the NAL handles are under $5,000. The Department expressly says these are claims that are not cost-effective for private practice and that thousands of worker-complainants would otherwise go unrepresented. That is the NAL’s typical case, not the exception.
What if the company filed for bankruptcy?
NAL lawyers bring claims on behalf of the DTRH and the country’s working class before the Federal Bankruptcy Court.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento del Trabajo y Recursos Humanos (DTRH)
Departamento del Trabajo
www.trabajo.pr.gov
Last verified
August 15, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
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