They will provide you with a free lawyer if you are defending yourself from a crime you've been convicted of, otherwise you are on your own. For example I was sold a house that is on a septic tank and that was never disclosed to me upon purchasing. It is now on me to source and pay for a lawyer to sue the guy who sold me the house, especially since said septic system doesn't work and is backing up. Part of the suit is to cover my legal fees, but i actually have to win to get that covered.