Orange County Legal Aid

Free Legal Aid Orange County CA

 

https://www.communitylegalsocal.org/who-we-are/

There are four ways to get help today. You can contact us, attend a free workshop, visit one of our Self-Help Centers, or find more information about our referral programs. Call our Hotline at 800-834-5001 or 714-571-5200. Our Hotline offers free evaluation, advice, and counsel. Once you are connected with a Community Legal Aid SoCal representative, you will be provided with a plan to assess and address your needs. No telephone or computer access? Come to our Santa Ana location located at 2101 North Tustin Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92705 and use the free phone in the lobby. This will connect you directly to the Hotline. This phone is available on a first-come, first served basis. We provide assistance at the Compton Court Self-Help Center located at 200 West Compton Boulevard, Compton, CA 90220, open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Chapman University School of Law Alona Cortese Elder Law Center 
(714) 628-2504
462 N. Glassell Street
Orange, CA 92866
Elder and Estate Planning

Legal Aid Society of Orange County 
(714) 571-5245
2101 N. Tustin Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Bankruptcy, Civil Rights, Consumer and Divorce

Orange County Family Law Facilitator 
341 The City Drive
Orange, CA 92863
Divorce and Family

Whittier Law School Center for Children's Rights 
(714) 444-4141
3333 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Education, Family and Juvenile

Western State University College of Law Onsite Legal Clinic 
(714) 459-1101
1 Banting
Irvine, CA 92618

Community Legal Services 
(562) 864-9935
11834 Firestone Blvd
Norwalk, CA 90650
Civil Rights, Consumer, Criminal and Divorce

City of Santa Fe Springs Legal Services Program 
(562) 944-6419
9255 S. Pioneer Blvd.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

Los Angeles County Family Law Facilitator 
(909) 620-3150
400 Civic Center Drive
Pomona, CA 91766
Divorce and Family

San Gabriel Valley LRS 
(626) 966-5530
1175 E Garvey Ave, Ste 105
Covina, CA 91724
Bankruptcy, Consumer, Criminal and Divorce

Legal Services Program for Pasadena and San Gabriel-Pomona Valley 
(909) 622-7455
243 W Mission Blvd, Ste 303
Pomona, CA 91766
Bankruptcy, Criminal, Divorce and Family

 

Finding a free or low-cost lawyer is difficult because there are a lot of people who need lawyers but cannot afford them. Here are the main groups that may be able to help you:

Court-based self-help services
Legal aid agencies and other non-profit groups
Government agencies
Lawyer-referral services and bar associations
Law schools
Dispute resolution programs
Prepaid legal services plans

Court-based self-help services
All California superior courts have some legal help available to people who do not have lawyers and are representing themselves. Because there are many types of services and information to assist you in getting help from your court, we have created an entire section just for court services. Find out more about help from your court.

Legal aid agencies and other nonprofit groups
Legal aid agencies

There are legal aid offices in many cities throughout California. Legal aid agencies are non-profit organizations that provide free legal services to people below a certain income level. Before you can get help from a legal aid agency, you usually have to qualify for their help based on your low income. Because there are so many people in need of legal help, your income has to be fairly low to qualify.

Also, legal aid agencies cannot help with all types of cases. Legal aid agencies usually help with domestic violence cases, family law, evictions, public benefits, immigration, employment issues, and other types of cases that can cause serious problems in a person's every day life.  They will probably not be able to help you if you want to sue someone because of a car accident for example (unless you are filing in small claims court, since some legal aid programs do help with small claims cases).

But if you need a lawyer and cannot afford one, it is always a good idea to try to get help from a legal aid agency in your area. Just do not be discouraged if they cannot help you.

Use LawHelpCa.org to find legal aid offices in your area and find out what areas of law they cover. This website can also help you with lawyer referral services, and other free and low-cost services in your county.

Nonprofit and public interest groups

Non-profit public interest organizations, like groups concerned with civil liberties or housing discrimination, may be able to help you. These groups sometimes have staff lawyers who might be able to handle your case. Others provide legal help only to groups of people rather than to individuals. For example, they might help you and your neighbors convince your city council to install a traffic light at a busy intersection.

Use LawHelpCa.org to find nonprofit groups in your area and find out if they may be able to help you with your legal problem.

Government agencies
There are several government agencies that can offer legal help. If you look up information on this website by legal topic, you will find information about specific government agencies that help with that topic.

For example, in the child support section, you will find a lot of detailed information about your local child support agency and how they can help parents collect and pay child support for their children.  Click to find the local child support agency in your county.

If you are being charged with a crime and you cannot afford a lawyer, you may qualify for free help from your local public defender’s office. Usually, the court will refer you to a public defender. If the public defender cannot take your case or if there is no public defender in your area, the court will usually appoint another lawyer to represent you for free. Find the public defender for your county.

You can also find these government agencies in the blue pages of your phone book. And you can find them online.

Lawyer-referral services
Lawyer referral services help people find lawyers. They can tell you about free or low-cost legal services in your area for people who qualify. If you do not qualify for free help, they can give you other information to help you find legal help that does not cost you a lot of money.  For example, they keep lists of lawyers who will meet with you once to discuss your case.  They will not charge you very much -- usually $20 to $45. Sometimes, this initial consultation is all you need to get started on your own.  The lawyer will also explain the services he or she can offer you and how much you can expect to pay. Some lawyers have lower fees for people who do not have very much money. Some lawyers will help you with key parts of your case and let you do the rest (called "limited-scope representation" or "unbundling").

Click to find a lawyer referral service in your area.
To learn more about limited-scope representation or unbundling.

Law schools
Some law schools have free legal clinics for certain types of legal problems. Your local bar association or your court will likely know about these clinics and can give you more information. Or contact your local law school to find out.