ONE YEAR AFTER L.A. WILDFIRES, NLSLA RELEASES AFTER-ACTION REPORT ON LEGAL AID’S ROLE IN RECOVERY

Los Angeles, CA — Today, one year after the start of the 2026 Wildfires in Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Service of Los Angeles released NLSLA’s 2025 Wildfire Response: The Role of Disaster Legal Services in Recovery. This new report details how legal aid played, and continues to play, an essential role in helping communities rebuild. The report provides an overview of actions taken, lessons learned, and specific client success stories.

NLSLA mobilized within days of the disaster, deploying attorneys to Disaster Recovery Centers, training hundreds of pro bono lawyers and volunteers, and delivering critical legal services to wildfire survivors facing housing loss, FEMA denials, insurance disputes, and interrupted benefits.

“When the disaster declaration was issued, NLSLA responded immediately because families could not wait. People’s lives were upended, and they were grieving the loss of their homes, their sense of safety, and their normal lives. Our job was to show up with compassion, guide them through the chaos, and assure them that they were not alone as they began to rebuild,” said Yvonne Mariajimenez, NLSLA President & CEO.

In addition to direct services, NLSLA pursued impact litigation and affirmative advocacy to address systemic failures revealed by the fires—particularly those affecting renters exposed to toxic smoke, ash, and debris.

“The 2025 wildfire response underscored a critical reality: disaster legal services must be treated as an essential, ongoing function rather than an ad hoc intervention. The scale and effectiveness of this year’s response demonstrated the value of advance coordination, trained disaster staff, centralized leadership, and sustained pro bono engagement. As climate-driven disasters continue to increase in frequency and severity, the lessons from 2025 make clear that a strong disaster legal services infrastructure is vital to ensuring that low-income survivors can stabilize their lives, protect their rights, and recover with dignity,” reads the report.

Read the full report here.