Legal Organization Directory

The AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) is able to serve some clients with its own in-house lawyers, and for issues it cannot help with, it will help clients find a private attorney from its panels of attorneys. If you are eligible for their services, it is a good place to try.

This is the Bar Association’s intake line that connects callers to private lawyers. Private attorney referrals are usually most applicable for low-income populations when there is no non-profit help available, or for cases where there might be funds recovered to pay an attorney (personal injury, a lawsuit against someone to recover funds for some kind of damage, SSI/SSDI, insurance cases, etc.).

This is the Bar Association’s program for low-income Alameda County residents. They host a number of workshops and clinics, including bankruptcy, low-income landlords, family law, and a Vietnamese community clinic.

The Family Justice Center is a one-stop center for families experiencing domestic violence. The Legal Advice Clinic covers numerous issues, including family law, divorce, landlord / tenant, and probate. The immigration clinic focuses on U-Visas and VAWA petitions.

AROC provides free and low cost immigration legal services, with a priority on serving Arab and Muslim clients.

Asian Law Caucus (ALC) provides brief advice and counsel to anyone at their clinics (immigration, worker’s rights, housing) and representation for some.

Asian Law Alliance provides legal assistance to Asian/Pacific and low income people in the areas of housing, public benefits, immigration & deportation defense, domestic violence / victims of violent crimes, and civil rights.

APILO provides an array of services and is more likely to help clients with multiple issues (such as family law, immigration, and benefits). APILO’s services are not limited to the API community, although they are a good referral for the API community and Asian language speakers.

The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) primarily assists with SSI, SSDI, and housing issues for clients who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, with a focus on people with mental disabilities.

The JDC primarily provides pro bono assistance in the following areas: family law, taxpayer disputes with the IRS, housing, and limited immigration.

At the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC), clients get a 10-15 minute consult with a volunteer attorney who can give some basic advice, pointers, and further referrals if needed. Attorneys from the following specialties are typically present: bankruptcy, business issues, consumer, contracts, criminal, employment, estate planning, family, housing, immigration, personal injury, probate, and others.

This is the Bar Association of San Francisco’s legal intake line that connects callers to private lawyers. Private attorney referrals are usually most applicable for low-income populations when there is no non-profit help available, or for cases where there might be funds recovered to pay an attorney (personal injury, a lawsuit against someone to recover funds for some kind of damage, SSI/SSDI, insurance cases, etc.).

Note that this same line screens clients for help through the Bar Association’s Justice and Diversity Center (pro bono services).

Bay Area Legal Aid’s Health Consumer Center provides information and assistance on health access issues, including the ACA, access to medical services, Covered California, Denti-Cal, Medi-Cal, Medicare, medical debt, and private health insurance issues.

Bay Area Legal Aid provides a number of legal services to low-income residents across the region, with a focus on public benefits, domestic violence, public housing, consumer law, health care, and foster care.

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR)’s Lawyer Referral Service can help clients figure out if they need legal help in the following areas, and then refer them to a private attorney for help: estate planning/Medi-Cal for long term care, special needs trusts, elder and dependent abuse, elder financial abuse, care home violations, and conservatorship. They run their own referral lists and sometimes have pro bono support available for very low-income clients.