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Comunity Legal Services in East Palo Alto

Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto

CLSEPA provides legal assistance to low-income individuals and families in East Palo Alto and surrounding communities in the Lower Peninsula where there are large populations that lack access to legal services. Since CLSEPA's founding in 2002, our agency has grown to serve more than 1,300 clients per year. CLSEPA's practice areas reflect the most urgent needs among our communities: a Housing practice that assists tenants in disputes with landlords; an Immigration practice that assists undocumented individuals, many of whom are survivors of violent crime; an Anti-Predatory Lending Initiative that assists borrowers victimized by illegal and predatory loans; and a General Civil/Consumer program that assists clients with a wide range of legal problems, including identity theft, debt collection, and general civil litigation defense.

Pro Bono Project Description:

Volunteer Attorney Program
CLSEPA conducts client intakes under the supervision of an experienced consumer law attorney and provides advice, brief services, or full legal representation for various consumer law matters, including: consumer fraud, debt collection, insurance, vehicle repossessions, contract disputes, identity theft, and general civil litigation. Pro Bono attorneys can volunteer at our clinics, or take cases by referral.
Housing Program
CLSEPA advises and represents tenants in disputes with landlords. Attorneys assist tenants throughout the eviction process by representing tenants in unlawful detainer trials, settlement conferences (under limited-scope-retainers), and post-settlement stay of evictions. Attorneys may also assist tenants with habitability issues, Section 8, housing discrimination, rent board petitions, retaliation and recovering security deposits
Immigration Program
Our immigration program assists immigrant victims of violent crime obtain U visas when they have been helpful to law enforcement in prosecuting those crimes. We also assist survivors of domestic violence with VAWA self-petitions. Additionally, CLSEPA assists clients with applications for work authorization, adjustment of status, some removal defense, and simple and complex DACA cases. Attorneys assist clients through affirmative representation for an immigration benefit or defensive litigation practice in removal defense before an Immigration Judge. The Immigration Program does not do Naturalization. *Note: the Immigration Program is located at 2117 B University Ave, East Palo Alto, CA 94303.*
Anti-Predatory Lending and Home Foreclosure Prevention Program
CLSEPA helps homeowners understand and exercise their rights to avoid foreclosure, and provides counseling for borrowers with loan modifications. Volunteer attorneys can assist in all aspects of the program, from intake to full-scope representation. CLSPEA counsels and advises homeowners about their options to avoid foreclosure and helps qualified homeowners apply for modifications and workouts. We also help homeowners who have been the victims of foreclosure rescue scams or other real estate fraud. Means of volunteering: referral or in-house.