Are the late payments showing up on your credit report? You can get one free a year so it may be worth checking. If it is showing up, you may also want to call the credit agencies and tell them what is going on so they can add a note to your credit report. That way, if you do need to apply for credit at some point in the near future, they'll know why late payments were made.

I agree with the suggestion of checking out a local law school for advice/help clinics.