History

In 1999, Law Center for Families was founded by the merger of two primary providers of legal services to low income in Alameda County: Legal Aid Society of Alameda County and Community Law Center.

The Legal Aid Society of Alameda County (LASAC) was founded in 1929 - one of the leading founders was Chief Justice Earl Warren. LASAC was known not only as the lead legal services agency in Alameda County, but also as one of the most formidable advocacy agencies for the poor in the United States. LASAC traditionally provided free legal services to indigent residents of Alameda County, making an impact on the lives of thousands of very low-income persons by helping them resolve such family law matters as domestic violence and child support, or housing issues such as landlord-tenant relations. LASAC also worked with clients to obtain public benefits, including social security, veterans' benefits and Medicaid. LASAC assisted approximately 5,000 people per year.

Community Law Center (CLC) was established in 1978 by Sister Simone Campbell under the auspices of her Order, the Sisters of Social Service. CLC specialized in family law and probate matters, areas of the law in which low-income people have great difficulty finding affordable representation. Advocates served clients for sliding scale fees, believing that clients retained their dignity if they contributed financially toward the cost of their services. CLC was the only legal service provider in Alameda County that focused exclusively on the provision of a full array of family law and probate services to people of low to moderate income. In its last year of operation, CLC assisted almost 1,000 people with family law or probate problems. Almost three quarters of the population served were people of color, and nearly all were women. More than 900 children lived in households assisted by CLC, over half of which were affected by domestic violence.

Recently, the Law Center incorporated the work of The Center on Poverty Law & Economic Opportunity.