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How to get legal aid for eviction in California

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Seek free help from legal aid if facing eviction procedures in court.

If your landlord has started eviction proceedings and you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, you may be able to receive free representation from a legal aid organization. The legal aid providers available to you depend on where you live in California. Some providers only serve a specific county in California, while others serve larger parts of the state. To get legal aid for eviction defense, you should identify the available programs and contact them to see if you qualify for assistance.

Instructions

    • 1

      Visit the Legal Services Corporation website at lsc.gov to find a list of legal aid programs that receive federal funding to provide free help for low-income clients in legal matters such as evictions and other landlord-tenant disputes. Click on California on the LSC map to identify LSC-funded legal aid organizations serving the state.

    • 2

      Find additional state-specific programs at lawhelpcalifornia.org, which publishes a guide to legal aid for California residents. Select "Landlord and Tenant Issues" to find resources specifically for litigants in eviction cases. Type the name of the city or town where you live, or select your county from the drop-down menu on the Landlord and Tenant Issues web page, to search for organizations located nearby.

    • 3

      Contact the local bar association in your California county---local bar associations such as the Los Angeles County Bar Association serve as professional organizations for attorneys and often provide legal referrals to members of the public. Ask the local bar association for referrals to legal aid organizations and other programs that give free legal representation to county residents facing eviction.

    • 4

      Compile a list of local legal aid organizations from your search through the Legal Services Corporation, LawHelpCalifornia and your county's bar association. Search for the websites of your selected organizations and review information regarding their available services. Identify the programs on your list that include landlord-tenant law or eviction defense in California as services. Eliminate any programs that do not take clients with housing issues or eviction cases.

    • 5

      Contact the remaining legal aid organizations identified through your search. Limit yourself to programs serving the local area where you live in California and providing help with eviction defense. Speak with the organization's intake phone-line, if available, to complete an initial screening for prospective clients. Discuss your financial situation during the intake call, as most legal aid organizations have income criteria that you must meet in order to receive free representation---for example, legal aid organizations with federal funding from the Legal Services Corporation often must only accept clients with incomes below standards based on the federal poverty guidelines.

Tips & Warnings

  • Find free legal information on California's landlord-tenant laws through the State Bar of California or the California Courts Self-Help Center.

  • Contact a local bar association to see if they can refer you to a private attorney willing to volunteer his time on a pro bono eviction-defense case, if you do not qualify for legal aid but have limited resources to pay a lawyer.

  • Contact a legal aid program or an attorney's office as soon as possible when you learn about your landlord's plans to evict you, as many eviction cases follow strict timelines and court procedures.

  • Contact the State Bar of California if you would like to confirm whether an organization is a legitimate legal aid provider and non-profit organization.

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