A free legal clinic serving low-income Alaskans is set to take place at the Mountain View Community Center Jan. 19.

The event — organized by the Alaska Court System, the Alaska Bar Association and the Alaska Legal Services Corporation — is held annually in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It offers 15-minute consultations on topics ranging from family law to public benefits to landlord-tenant issues.

Jon Katcher, an Anchorage attorney and one of the founding members of the free clinic program, said there’s a great need for affordable civil legal representation throughout the state.

“There’s much more demand than there is supply,” Katcher said. “It’s actually a significant challenge for the court system as a whole.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day clinics aim to change that.

According to the Alaska Bar Association, the project has enlisted more than 700 volunteers to serve more than 1,500 clients over the past five years. The donated services totaled more than $260,000. The impact on Alaskans’ lives is immeasurable.

“We’ll pretty much do the best we can,” Katcher said.

The Mountain View clinic, one of three statewide but the only location in Anchorage, is open Jan. 19 from noon to 6 p.m. at 315 Price St.