About Us

LawHelpCA has been prepared for general information purposes only. It does not provide direct legal advice but can connect you to legal aid organizations and referral services. Please read our disclaimer here. 

What is LawHelpCA?

• OFFICIAL AND FREE LawHelpCA is California’s official and free legal resource.

• RELIABLE information about common legal issues, written by reputable sources on 16 general topics and over 140 specific subtopics

• UPDATED directory of legitimate and pre-screened organizations that offer free or low-cost legal advice and representation

Why should I use LawHelpCA?

• AUTHORITATIVE links are regularly checked and updated

• COMPREHENSIVE directory of organizations that can provide legal help

• INNOVATIVE LawHelpCA seeks to improve the readability and navigation of the site by integrating feedback from users and from the larger legal aid technology community 

Where does information on LawHelpCA come from?

Government agencies: CA Department of Consumer Affairs, Federal Trade Commission

Legal aid organizations: Legal Services of Northern California, Legal Aid Society

California courts: Judicial Council, Contra Costa County Superior Court

Non-profit organizations: Equal Rights Advocates, World Institute on Disability

How do I get help finding information or legal help on LawHelpCA? 

Please use the green topic tiles on the home page to search for assistance. You may also use the search function available on every page on the right side of the webpage. Use the search function to select your location, legal topic, and choose your legal problem. There are also shortcuts for viewing disaster relief resources and announcements, scam alerts, and LawHelpCA's most frequently viewed resources. 

LawHelpCA staffs volunteers to help with searches on LawHelpCA through a "LiveChat" feature. Volunteers are real people trained to help navigate the website and are not robots/chatbots. Read more about LiveChat here: https://www.lawhelpca.org/about-livechat

Who runs LawHelpCA?

Legal Aid Association of California is the statewide membership organization for the almost 100 nonprofits funded through IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Account) grants by the State Bar of California. Capitalizing on its structure as a membership organization, LAAC naturally takes on the role of advocating on behalf of this group of nonprofits.

LAAC facilitates communication and coordination between programs, trains in core substantive areas, analyzes best practices, and assesses and improves the effectiveness of the delivery of legal aid in California, including working strategically to support rural and small programs and meet the needs of under-served populations.

LAAC does not provide direct legal services, and is unable to provide legal advice. Please use the search function of the website to search for an attorney in your area if you need legal help. 

What is LawHelpCA's history?

LawHelpCA is a collaborative project started by the federally-funded Legal Services Corporation, with policy oversight from the CalJustice Advisory Committee and assistance from advocates at legal aid programs throughout the state.

The LawHelpCA staff gratefully acknowledges the CalJustice advisory committee for their guidance in building this site.  Committee members contributed their time and experience to ensure that LawHelpCA provides a clear and simple portal to quality legal services referrals and legal self-help information. 

We thank the following organizations for their participation on the advisory committee: Judicial Council, Bay Legal, California Indian Legal Services, Inland Counties Legal Services,  Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Legal Services of Northern California, OneJustice, State Bar of California, VLSP - San Francisco Bar Association, Western Center on Law & Poverty.

Where do I find pro bono opportunities? 

If you are an attorney looking for pro bono opportunities at a legal aid organization, please visit www.CaliforniaProBono.org.

How do I report an administrative issue? 

For administrative issues, such as the website not working, missing or broken links, or other issues related to the functionality of the website please contact our LawHelpCA Administrator at admin@lawhelpca.org.

Please note that the administrators do not provide direct legal advice or services and are unable to respond to requests for legal help. Please do not email personal details about your legal concern. Please use the search feature to contact an organization in your area that may be able to help. 

How do I make suggestions about how to improve LawHelpCA? 

If you have great ideas for LawHelpCA, please give us feedback here!

Who funds LawHelpCA?

Donations from the public make LawHelpCA possible.

LawHelpCA receives funding from the State Bar of California and generous donations from legal aid providers throughout the state including: