Defending Tenants Against Unscrupulous Landlords
Many people feel helpless when confronted by their landlords, and forced to move—especially if the tenants lack the resources to assert their rights. That’s where LAFLA’s Eviction Defense Center steps in, and helps low-income residents stay in their homes and holds property owners accountable. In 2016, the Eviction Defense Center represented Alfredo and Rosa Perla […]
From the Classroom to the Courtroom
Imagine going straight from taking notes in your Evidence class to arguing in a courtroom. LAFLA has crucial relationships with law schools and community organizations throughout Greater Los Angeles, including Pepperdine University School of Law—which has a unique collaboration with the Supporting Families Workgroup. Through this partnership, law students work directly with immigrants, assessing their […]
Reflections on Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Resilience, Activism, & Justice
By Joann Lee, LAFLA Special Counsel on Language Justice With Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month upon us this May, we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, largely built by Chinese workers. These workers, who faced extreme racism and exploitative conditions, were excluded from receiving any acknowledgement and very little was […]
Our Commitment to Culturally Sensitive, Trauma-Informed Legal Aid
LAFLA has a long history of providing services to vulnerable communities across Greater Los Angeles, including the Cambodian population in Long Beach. LAFLA is one of the only legal aid programs in the country with a specialized project dedicated to serving Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities, which comprise 15 percent of the population in […]
LAFLA Attorneys “Adopt a Shelter” to Help Domestic Violence Survivors
It is a story that is all too familiar for the staffers at WomenShelter of Long Beach (WSLB): A domestic violence survivor seeks help physically escaping her abuser, but has trouble legally freeing herself. LAFLA started the Adopt-a-Shelter program in 2018 to reach more domestic violence survivors, and provide critical legal help. Our attorneys hold […]
Expungement Clinics Give Community Members a Fresh Start
Our underlying mission at LAFLA is to improve the lives of low-income people through equal access to justice. One way we achieve that is by helping clients remove barriers that prevent them from housing and gainful employment, including their criminal record. Our expungement clinics around Los Angeles County allow us to work closely with clients […]
Pro Bono Spotlight: Nigel Baker, Veterans Justice Center
Volunteering is at the heart of what makes LAFLA great: Our pro bono volunteers enable LAFLA to fulfill our mission to the greatest extent possible. From taking on full scope cases in court to helping at clinics throughout the region, attorneys have multiple opportunities to provide legal assistance to those in need. Many of our […]
Homecoming for Evicted Senior
LAFLA attorneys are driven by the mission to achieve equal justice for the undeserved—and in the case of client Diana Scott, that purpose could not have been more pronounced. When Matthis Chiroux, one of LAFLA’s homeless prevention attorneys, met Diana this past summer, he was deeply moved by her situation: Diana’s landlord had evicted her […]
Legal Aid is ‘Uplifting Inglewood’
Kim, a single mother of a special needs son, was shocked when her new Inglewood landlord recently demanded a 79 percent increase in her monthly rent. Despite working several jobs, Kim struggled to make ends meet, especially with expenses related to her son’s medical needs. Nearly half of Kim’s income helps her pay the rent. […]
National Telemundo Interview
National Telemundo correspondent Francisco Cuevas recently interviewed Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles attorney Daliah Setareh for a story on the growing number of children who have been denied Special Immigrant Juvenile Status due to an unannounced policy reversal. The interview came as a result of a recent New York Times story that examined children […]