Making a National Impact in Medical-Legal Partnerships
We are celebrating a major honor at LAFLA: The Whole Person Care – LA Medical-Legal Community Partnership (MLCP-LA), which includes LAFLA, received the 2019 Impact Award from the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership. Our staff attended the Center’s annual summit in National Harbor, Maryland, where they received the award along with our program partners—Los Angeles […]
Hope for Victims of For-Profit College Fraud
The for-profit college industry has made billions of dollars by targeting vulnerable communities through predatory, deceptive, and even illegal practices. Many of their students have ended up with staggering, insurmountable debt—unable to find jobs, repay their loans, and ultimately advance their lives. Athena was struggling to provide for her two young children on a minimum-wage […]
Meet Our Summer Law Clerks
Our summer law clerks are part of the next generation of public interest lawyers. At LAFLA, we are proud to provide hands-on training across the wide scope of our services. Our law clerks have the opportunity to deepen their legal knowledge, refine their skills, and directly work with clients. We spoke with some of our […]
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 […]