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General Legal Assistance
800-433-6251
Health Consumer Center
800-896-3202
Self-Help Legal Access Centers
View locations, hours, services.
NLSLA Joins Forces with Disability Rights California to Address Neglect, Abuse, and Criminalization of Black Disabled Students in AV Schools
/in News /by Madison EckardtWith the right supports, students living with emotional, behavioral and cognitive disabilities can thrive in a school setting. That’s why state and federal law requires schools to identify these students, […]
Political Scientist and Writer Mara Cohen Joins NLSLA’s Board
/in News /by Madison EckardtMara Cohen’s parents used to tell her that most people “will pass through this world and leave it the same or a little bit worse.” “And the implicit thing was […]
NLSLA’s Fred Nakamura Wins Prestigious National Award for Civil Legal Aid
/in News /by Madison EckardtIn his early years representing tenants in some of Los Angeles’ poorest neighborhoods, NLSLA’s Fred Nakamura was known to bring a camera and a toolbox to his clients’ homes—the first […]
NLSLA BOARD ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN
/in News /by Madison EckardtThis February, Esteban Rodriguez took the helm as NLSLA’s Board Chair. Rodriguez replaces Paul Loh, who led the Board and the organization through a period of remarkable change and unprecedented […]
NLSLA Takes Action Against AV District that Failed to Account for Millions Earmarked for High Needs Students
/in News /by Madison EckardtAfter a series of public records requests and a lot of number crunching, NLSLA education attorney Chelsea Helena had hard proof of what she already suspected: In the Antelope Valley, […]
Message from Yvonne
/in News /by Madison EckardtIn this, our first newsletter of 2022, I would like to start by taking a moment to look back. NLSLA closes out each year with an in-depth report on our […]
NLSLA Wins Lawsuit Challenging Harmful Section 8 Policy that Blocks Many Family Members from Becoming Live-In Aides
/in Client Stories, News /by Madison EckardtSusana Ramis needs constant care. The 57-year-old has for decades suffered from debilitating anxiety, depression and panic attacks that have kept her from engaging with the outside world and made […]
Thousands wait too long for food because of LA County’s delayed CalFresh benefits, advocates allege
/in Press /by Madison EckardtLA County Is Being Sued For Delaying Food Assistance To Low-Income Families
/in Press /by Madison EckardtNew Network Brings Critical Benefits to Immigrant Families in Need
/in News /by Madison EckardtThe LA-based collaborative connects outreach workers, benefits enrollers, attorneys and clinics to reach immigrant families, address their fears, and enroll them in desperately-needed benefits Even as they struggled to put […]
At this L.A. County health center, a lawyer is just what the doctor ordered
/in Press /by Madison EckardtNOT JUST STOPS: Mapping Racially Biased Policing in the Antelope Valley
/in News /by Madison EckardtParents sue state alleging Black and Latinx students are harmed by disciplinary practices
/in Press /by Madison EckardtCA Ignores Clear Patterns of Discrimination in School Discipline
/in News /by Madison EckardtFamilies and community group sue education department for allowing dozens of districts to suspend, expel and transfer students of color—and Black students in particular—at alarming rates, sanctioning an unequal system […]
NLSLA Featured in Wilmer Valderrama’s Podcast
/in Press /by Madison EckardtNLSLA President & CEO Yvonne Mariajimenez and housing advocate Trini Ocampo joined actor and activist Wilmer Valderrama on his “Essential Voices” podcast to discuss the pandemic’s impact on Los Angeles’ […]
NLSLA Pushes Policy Change at EDD, Halting Discriminatory ID Practice
/in Client Stories /by Madison EckardtIn March of 2020, Ms. S lost her job as a result of the pandemic. Around that time, she also became homeless. She applied for unemployment insurance benefits, but was […]
NLSLA Sues to Help Elderly Tenants Trapped In 16-Floor Building With Broken Elevators
/in Client Stories /by Madison EckardtThere are only two elevators in the 260-unit building known as Cathay Manor in LA’s Chinatown, and neither of them works. The first elevator broke down in May, forcing the […]
Wraparound Supports Help Domestic Violence Survivors Overcome the Odds
/in Client Stories /by Madison EckardtSandra Cass* first came to NLSLA through one of the organization’s Self-Help Legal Access Centers, seeking assistance with a temporary restraining order against her abuser. She had been with the […]
NLSLA Secures Victory for Elderly Tenant After Years-Long Battle
/in Client Stories /by Madison EckardtIn 1994, Mr. and Mrs. Tello moved into an apartment in LA’s Miracle Mile neighborhood—a rental that the owner had illegally converted into two units. The Tellos never used the […]
Return to the Fold: Two former interns join NLSLA’s Board
/in News /by Madison EckardtWhen David Willingham recruited Miguel Gradilla to join the private firm where he was working, the two bonded over their childhoods in Los Angeles’ low-income neighborhoods, and their past work […]
Preventing an emergency from becoming a catastrophe: A partnership with The Change Reaction gives NLSLA advocates a new way to help clients
/in News /by Madison EckardtSo many of NLSLA’s clients are just one financial emergency away from losing their tenuous grip on stability. An unexpected health expense, job loss, rent increase or eviction could easily […]
Yvonne Mariajimenez, 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year
/in News /by Madison EckardtOn April 28th, NLSLA President & CEO Yvonne Mariajimenez was named 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Once a year, the journal’s Women’s […]
NLSLA Welcomes New Board Member Zakiya Glass
/in News /by Madison EckardtDuring a criminal procedure class at Loyola Law School, Zakiya Glass’s professor asked the students whether it was reasonable for a police officer to suspect—and to stop—someone who was running. […]
NLSLA Pushes for More Equitable Vaccine Distribution
/in News /by Madison EckardtWhile the pandemic continues to challenge all of us, these last few months have been especially devastating for the communities NLSLA serves. Yet these communities have been left behind when […]
NLSLA and Partners Sue to Halt In-Person Trials That Expose Low-Income Angelenos to COVID-19
/in News /by Madison EckardtFor months now, Los Angeles Superior Courts have required in-person appearances for civil cases that overwhelmingly involve low-income litigants. Despite soaring infection rates, low-income litigants and their legal aid attorneys […]
How the pandemic has altered school discipline — perhaps forever
/in Press /by Madison EckardtRemote learning violations, mask-wearing offenses and an opportunity to rethink harsh discipline
Whole Person Care – Policy Brief
/in News /by Madison EckardtThrough the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS), Whole Person Care-Los Angeles (WPC) operates the Medical-Legal Community Partnership (MLCP). MLCP embeds legal assistance in a safety net setting […]
Lawsuit seeks to limit in-person L.A. County civil trials because of COVID-19 risk
/in Press /by Madison EckardtLegal Aid Organizations File Lawsuit to Challenge In-Person Hearings at Los Angeles Superior Court, Citing Spiraling COVID-19 Crisis
/in Press /by Madison EckardtFor Immediate Release: February 9, 2021 Media Contact: Rekha Radhakrishnan, 832-628-2312, Hundreds of infections and three staff member deaths shed light on troubling conditions in largest trial court system […]
Churches in LA’s working-class neighborhoods urge: ‘bring the vaccine to the people’
/in Press /by Madison Eckardt