Legal Aid Society of Orange County Community Legal Services

Legal Aid Society of Orange County & Community Legal Services LASOC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded by a the Orange County Bar Association in 1958 to serve the legal needs of the County’s low-income individuals and seniors. In 1984, LASOC expanded its service area to southeast Los Angeles County, where it is known as Community Legal Services (CLS). For nearly 58 years, LASOC has been providing free, high- quality civil legal services to the poverty community.

LASOC/CLS Service Area by City Legal Aid Society of Orange County Service Area Map = Cities where LASOC/CLS has services

LASOC Offices Legal Aid Society of Orange County Service Area Map = LASOC offices

Population & Poverty Statistics AreaPopulation (2014) Below 100% Poverty (2014) % Below Poverty (2014) Below 100% Poverty (2011) % Below Poverty (2011) Norwalk501,17280, %70, % Compton507,592116, %96, % Total SE LA1,008,764197, %164,42818% Orange County 3,145,515390, %336, % Total SE LA & OC 4,154,279587,64214%4,019, %

Three Tier Service Delivery System Hotline, Outreach, Self Help, Attorney Referral Service Workshops, Clinics, I-CAN!, Smart Forms Legal Representation

Legal Aid Society of Orange County Community Legal Services Offices Open Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM HOTLINE Available – Mon. – Thurs. 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM & Friday 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Offices in: Santa Ana, Anaheim, Compton, & Norwalk Self Help Centers: Legal Resolutions, Compton, & Norwalk Outreach & Education in 2015: 10,000 Individuals Approximately 13,000 Cases Closed in 2015 Approximately 12,700 individuals helped at Workshops and Self-Help Center

Litigation Unit Legal assistance & information are provided through: – Self Help Centers – Workshops – Clinics – Office Appointments – Representation – court & administrative hearings, advice & counsel, and client advocacy. – The Hotline: the gateway to LASOC/CLS services including clinics, workshops, legal information and advice. All eligible callers on the Hotline will receive a free evaluation, advice and counsel. Office appointments are made for clients that have complicated legal problems that require in-depth legal counsel and representation. The creation of the Hotline in 1996 was LASOC’s first technology-based solution to the challenge of using limited resources to efficiently assist the greatest number of people. The Hotline is designed to quickly evaluate a caller’s legal needs and to provide immediate information and advice to enable callers to begin to solve their legal problems. The Hotline is staffed by volunteer and staff intake workers who are directly supervised by an attorney.

Hotline 35,000 calls/year – 135/day 17,000 intakes/year (after screening) – 64/day Interviewers – Take calls – Create intakes – Conflicts checks – Determining who is the client – Train new interviewers Duty Attorneys – Provide advice – Training 15,500 volunteer hours/year Extensive Training Program – LASOC YouTube Channel 40+ videos updated in 2014 Attorneys, legal interns, law students, paralegals, paralegal students.

Intake Locations Legal Aid Society of Orange County Service Area Map = Intake locations

Compton / Norwalk Programs Compton Courthouse DVPP Norwalk Courthouse DVPP CalWORKs DVAP Compton Self Help Center Incubator Program Rainbow Services Domestic Violence Program Hotline (remote) Clinics Workshops (Consumer Debt Clinic) Client Appointments / Representation (DVPP = Domestic Violence Prevention Program) (DVAP = Domestic Violence Assistance Project)

Community Legal Services Compton Office Provides services in 10 cities: Carson; Compton; Cudahy; Hollydale, Huntington Park; Lynwood; Maywood; South Gate; Walnut Park; and Willowbrook. Caseload involve family law, housing & government benefits. Paralegals represent clients at administrative hearings. The attorneys are regularly in court. Two court-based programs at the Compton Courthouse: – In 1995, CLS established the Domestic Violence Prevention Program. (domestic violence, civil harassments, and elder abuse) – In 2005, CLS started the Compton Legal Self Help Center. The center has public computers and a variety of written materials to help self-represented litigants. CLS staff and JusticeCorps students annually assist over 11,000 litigants.

Community Legal Services Norwalk Office Provides services to 8 cities: Artesia, Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Norwalk and Paramount. Open from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. – Regular office appointment days are Monday all day. – UD Clinic Appointments on Wednesday mornings. – CalWORKs/DV appointments are scheduled on Monday & Wednesday afternoons. – Norwalk Social Services outreach appointments are scheduled on Wednesday afternoons, twice a month. – Dissolution of Marriage Clinic Appointments are scheduled on Thursday afternoons. – Emergency office appointments are scheduled based on staff availability throughout the week. The Domestic Violence Clinic located in the Southeast/Norwalk Superior Court Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – assisting clients with applications for Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, Elder Abuse Restraining Orders and Civil Harassment Restraining Orders. Staff is supplemented through use of volunteer paralegal and law students from local community college paralegal programs and local law schools. Consumer Debt Workshop held at the Norwalk Courthouse

Santa Ana / Anaheim Programs HOTLINE Clinics & Workshops Office Appointments Representation Lawyer Referral Service Legal Resolutions Small Claims Advisor Training & MCLE Administration Health Consumer Action Center Foreclosure Mitigation Unit Seniors Citizen Advocacy Program ICAN! & Smart Forms Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Homeless Outreach Program The Notice Fund Development Accounting Department Incubator Program

Orange County Clinics & Workshops Clinics Family Law Assistance Clinic Bankruptcy Clinic Unlawful Detainer Clinic Foreclosure Mitigation Clinic Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Limited Conservatorship Clinic Supplemental Security Income Clinic Debt Collection Defense Clinic Workshops Employee Rights Workshop Special Education Workshop Limited Conservatorship Workshop Small Claims Workshop

Foreclosure Mitigation Unit The Foreclosure Mitigation Unit (FMU) was developed in January of 2009 & quickly became a HUD approved Housing Counseling Agency. – Two HUD-Certified Housing Counselors assist by providing one-on-one housing counseling sessions to homeowners facing foreclosure or imminent default. In 2010, the FMU started the Loan Modification Mediation Program at Orange County Superior Court and Federal District Court (Los Angeles and Santa Ana). – Housing Counselors attend Loan Modification Mediations and determine if the homeowner is eligible for Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) or any other program and report their finding to the Judge or Pro Tem at the mediation. Most of our homeowners are not LSC eligible. The FMU receives the majority of funding from non-LSC partners. Receives funding from HUD to provide tenant counseling. Funded by the State Bar in 2016 through Bank Settlement Funds.

Health Consumer Action Center First funding was from The California Endowment March 1998 Now Statewide Health Consumer Alliance Funder’s Vision – to improve the health access for Californians through outreach, education & advocacy – Most of our clients are elderly/disabled – About 600 clients/year PPACA (Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act) federal funds from California Department of Managed Health Care & Covered California – Independent Consumer Assistance Eligibility issues and health care services access Many changes took place due to health reform and budget challenges – Community education Educating public about health programs and consumer rights Additional information available at

Senior Citizens Legal Advocacy Program (SCLAP) SCLAP provides legal services to Orange County residents age 60 and over. The Orange County Office on Aging reports that as of 2010, there were 496,404 county residents age 60 and over comprising 16.5% of the population. SCLAP utilizes volunteers to assist with the delivery of legal services. Volunteers primarily include law students and attorneys. – We currently have 3 retired attorneys that volunteer with us through their participation in the California State Bar Pro Bono Practice Program Clients can request legal assistance by contacting the Legal Aid Hotline or by scheduling an appointment at one of the 14 senior centers we visit located throughout the county.

Low Income Taxpayer Clinic To assist low-income taxpayers with representation and advocacy with tax controversy matters. -Back tax debt -Audits -Appeals -Tax court -Community education/workshops -Back tax debt -Audits -Appeals -Tax court -Community education/workshops

Legal Resolutions 2015: – Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) Referrals 13,432 – Family Law Clinics 782 appointments Over 400 case files were opened – Small Claims Hotline Calls 15,365 – Walk-ins 5,828

The Incubator Program Program for new lawyers intended to: Accelerate successful development in an environment that provides substantive law support and resources, referrals, and experience. Offer valuable experience and ongoing education to help build their professional careers, develop management skills, and instill high ethical standards. Provide legal services to gap litigants. Mentoring peers and more seasoned attorneys. Provide training, access to law practice resources & mentoring. Orange County Law School partnerships with Whittier, Chapman, UCI, and Western State.

I-CAN! & Technology Services I-CAN! California – Developed for Orange County but now used 47 Counties Statewide – Fee Waiver, Divorce, OSC (Order to Show Cause), Small Claims I-CAN! Nationwide – California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Virginia Family Law Smart Forms Unlawful Detainer E-Filing (I-CAN! & document upload) Elder Abuse Restraining Order Hot Docs Module Small Claims E-Filing & online support In Use – Online timekeeping system (internal) In Development – Online intake

Websites and Social Media All sites integrated with Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

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