Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

About this Organization:
The Legal Aid Society of Orange County and Community Legal Services in Los Angeles County (collectively "Legal Aid") are non-profit agencies that provide free legal services to Orange County and portions of southeast/south central Los Angeles County's poor and elderly. They are funded by a combination of public and private sources. This year, Legal Aid will assist over 26,000 low-income individuals and seniors with legal matters through its four offices in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Compton and Norwalk. Approximately two-thirds of these clients were women, with a large percentage of the services provided for them either directly or indirectly benefiting children.

Restrictions:
Legal Aid's clients are generally either at or below the poverty level. According to the 1990 Census, Orange County has over 200,000 residents and the Los Angeles service area that we serve has over 150,000 residents who have incomes below the federal poverty level -- a number that continues to grow every year. Thousands more have incomes that make hiring a lawyer impossible. Legal Aid's Seniors Program has no low-income requirement, however, offering legal assistance to anyone age 60 or over.

About this Organization:
Since 1965, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLS-LA) has provided free legal services to low-income residents. We serve all of Los Angeles County, including the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, the neighboring communities in the Pomona, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys, and the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena. NLS-LA provides the highest quality services to its clients, individually and collectively. Our advocacy is directed towards both the needs of the individual client requesting legal assistance, and to clients who seek to enforce the broader rights of the low-income community. Equally important to NLS-LA is the development of self-help skills and other tools, which allow clients and client groups to solve their own problems and improve their lives and communities. NLS' drop-in legal centers teach people to access justice for themselves. The Center's professional staff and volunteers help people navigate through the court system, from filling out the appropriate forms, to how and what to say before a judge. The Centers provide assistance with small claims, evictions, family law and other civil litigation. Internet access, computerized court forms and Alternative Dispute Resolution are also available.