The East Bay Law Center Explained
East Bay Law Center is a full-service nonprofit law firm that serves clients with diverse legal needs throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We are committed to providing affordable, high-quality legal services that empower clients to solve their legal problems with education and representation. We may be able to help you if you have a problem seeking Social Security disability, housing or government benefits; fair treatment at work; or protection from a violent or abusive partner. We also provide services to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. We see each case as an opportunity to improve quality of life . Our goal is to deliver outstanding legal representation while helping people to understand their circumstances. Our mission is to offer legal services that empower our clients to solve their problems, to prevent future problems, and to assure greater access to justice for all. For the past 17 years, we have been committed to providing high quality legal services that empower clients to transform their lives. East Bay Law Center serves primarily low-income clients with modest means who otherwise cannot afford legal representation. We operate in a lean, entrepreneurial manner so that we can provide services on a sliding scale and direct most of our efforts to our lowest income client base.
The Services Featured at the East Bay Law Center
As a not-for-profit public interest law firm, our fees are on a sliding scale based on income and situation. All fee work at our firm is done at this rate.
We do charge for clients who can pay, but we are happy to provide help to those who cannot afford our legal services. We don’t want financial issues to prevent you from seeking the legal help you need.
It is important to know that our fees work for certain types of matters, but we don’t get involved in all kinds of cases. We’re a public interest law firm, but we have limited staff and time, and we need to prioritize.
We have attorneys on staff who focus on domestic violence matters, immigration, housing, and other issues that align with the mission of the East Bay Law Center.
We do not take any family law matters — divorce, child custody, child support, separation, civil harassment, etc. Family law can be drawn out and time-consuming. Most of our staff is trained in handling the fast-paced environment of civil law. We know how to help clients navigate housing issues, immigration matters, and civil harassment cases, but when it comes to family law, we wouldn’t be able to devote the time your case deserves.
That’s not to say, though, that we don’t make exceptions in certain situations. Negotiations and case management can help lessen a client’s stress and bring clarity to the situation. We have some attorneys at our firm who have dealt with family law proceedings and can provide some limited help on managing your case.
We also deal with other types of civil cases as needed. We draw the line when it comes to criminal cases, personal injuries, and other areas. We won’t take on a case that we feel is outside of our abilities or beyond our timeframe.
How to Use Services Through the East Bay Law Center
The East Bay Law Center primarily serves clients in Contra Costa County (although there may be some exceptions). Potential clients schedule an appointment with the East Bay Law Center if they need help with a civil legal matter and have been screened for eligibility to use EBC’s services. EBC provides free legal services to low-income clients in Contra Costa, which obviously limits the scope of services that it can provide. In general, clients are eligible for EBC’s services if they have civil legal issues, have a low-income, and live in Contra Costa County.
Clients may call or email EBC to schedule an appointment with a staff attorney or a volunteer attorney for a brief legal consultation. Also, EBC posts upcoming legal consultations on its website where anyone may sign up. Existing clients and non-clients may also sign up for upcoming workshops.
The East Bay Law Center’s Role in the Community
The East Bay Law Center envisions open access to justice for everyone. Its model of shifting the existing social and legal services ecosystem is working. The East Bay Law Center is positively impacting people’s lives , helping them on the road to self-sustainability. The Center engages in strong community outreach to reach those in need.
The East Bay Law Center serves as a coordination point of the public interest and non-profit agencies to advance justice for people living in poverty. They currently have 17 partner agencies that they make referrals to for additional social and legal services. 85% of the people they serve are people of color. 30% of the people they serve are undocumented immigrants. They have served over 400 clients in 2018. Their work has been received positively.
The East Bay Law Center provides free legal assistance through the following programs: legal assistance and advice; legal education and seminars; and pro bono service opportunities for attorneys. They also provide support and legal information through their website as well as partnerships with other law firms that contribute to their successes.
Collective Efforts and Partnerships
The East Bay Law Center engages in various partnerships and collaborations to enhance service delivery and community outreach. They are an integral part of the Alameda County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) and collaborate with the Bay Area Affordable Home Ownership program for qualifying low and moderate-income first-time home buyers. East Bay Law Center is a member of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of Northern California and houses the Bay Area Pro Bono Affinity Group for the National LGBT Bar Association.
The East Bay Law Center partners with Bay Area anti-discrimination organizations to conduct monthly Know Your Rights workshops. East Bay Law Center collaborates with the Bay Area community to provide monthly VAWA self-petition clinics for abused non-citizens who are eligible to apply for relief under the Violence Against Women Act.
Nurturing the East Bay Law Center
The East Bay Law Center is continually working to raise funds through a variety of channels, including donation appeals, hosting fundraising events and/or participating in them, and most importantly through trusting community partners like you. We ask for your support in keeping the East Bay Law Center alive to continue serving low-income residents and have created multiple ways to donate for individual residents and organizations. By donating to East Bay Law Center, you are supporting our legal services project that serves Alameda County and many California residents around the state. Here are ways to support East Bay Law Center:
Financial assistance
The easiest way to directly support our work is by sending a check or money order to our office or contributing online from anywhere in the country.
Donate goods
East Bay Law Center accepts donations of goods that meet our needs , such as professional attire for attorneys and paralegals. We currently have all professional attires necessary.
Fundraisers
Many personal or business-oriented fundraisers have recently partnered with the East Bay Law Center to host events or activities for a month that benefits our programs, while raising awareness of the work we do. If your organization is interested in hosting a fundraiser, please contact us to see if we are a good fit for your efforts.
Volunteer
If you are an attorney, paralegal, project manager, or other type of specialist interested in volunteering with the East Bay Law Center, we would be interested in hearing from you.
