This is the worst place i could have gone for a divorce & experiencing domestic violence during COVID. The Lawyer i got was condescending & talked down to me most of the time during our relationship. I found myself reminding her often "i'm not a child". I have HIV and lost over 19 pounds running around during COVID getting copies, scans, and putting files together that she asked of me. Things she never used! I'm not sure if she is afraid of my spouse's Lawyer, just didn't like me or both. Most of the time her actions benefited my spouse more than me and she seemed to almost "kowtow" to his Lawyer. Because of her me & my little dog were homeless for several weeks. In the middle of COVID. When everyone else was being told to "stay in" me, a 60 yr. old with a compromised immune system, prone to lung problems was being told to "hit the streets"! I went from living in the same apartment for 15 yrs. to "no place". During this time me and my dog were exposed to COVID, had very little to eat, couldn't sleep, and to add insult to injury were attached when someone tried to rob us. If this was a murder case instead of a divorce & i was the accused my own lawyer would have played judge, jury and executioner...i would now be dead! She and an associate (someone from housing) were actually laughing at me on the phone when i was explaining this situation to them and the fact that i was running out of money & may need to relocate! I doubt they realized i noticed it but i did. She then explained she had to give my case to someone else because of a promotion which to say the least has left me & my dog in a lurch. This has had HORRIBLE effects on my healing & my mental health. And this is not all i went through with her. Now i am left not knowing where to turn! The lawyer she gave my case to doesn't seem to have the time for me. I have promptly done everything they have asked & have always been very polite. I have experienced some great bigotry and homophobia in my life but when it comes from someone you really want to trust...i don't know what more to say!
Front desk associates and outreach employees are rude condescending and do not care about the clients
I didn't particularly like the attitude of one of the lawyers. She seemed unfriendly & not concerned with my case. Next time, I will steer clear of Ms. Chen. She was unhelpful.
I am a deferred Big Law associate who volunteered in the Youth Justice unit of Oakland's Bay Area Legal Aid. I had a great experience there. I worked with extremely intelligent and compassionate attorneys and staff, and I was given the opportunity to represent my own clients, and, with guidance from the staff attorneys, make decisions about how to best represent their needs. I had the opportunity to attend collaborative court and IEP meetings, which really helped my negotiation and representation skills. For law students or new attorneys looking for a wonderful legal organization to volunteer for and great legal experience, I would definitely recommend Bay Area Legal Aid!
We are a low income family rented an apartment that was horribly infested with fleas. Our landlord refused to provide us with a clean apartment to temporarily stay while waiting for the pet control spray causing us to be homeless for nearly 2 months while still having to pay for the rent. We have come to Bay Area Legal Aid in San Jose, CA and got all the help from the staff to get justice done. My family and I would like to thank Bay Area Legal Aid Team for their support and hard work to bring a result to my case. We went to court and got a very good result. Without help from Bay Area Legal Aid, poor family like us would not stand a chance against those big corporation who do not do the right things.
As a rising 1L, I had a great summer experience at Bay Area Legal Aid (San Francisco Ofc.). I never worked for a non-profit before, and didn’t know what to expect. The staff and attorneys were welcoming and easy to get along with. The law clerks that I worked with came to work on time, and treated their (9a-5p) positions as if they were getting paid by the hour. The atmosphere was professional, but comfortable enough where I felt like I could knock on any attorney’s door if I ever had a question or needed help. There were many social gatherings (both in and out of the office), and events that allowed the office to mix. Although I am not a social person, I did appreciate BayLegal’s efforts to bring everyone together.
I worked in the Legal Barriers to Employment Project (LBEP unit) and had two supervisors who were both great people and great teachers. I was expected to work independently, and handled cases from the ground up. Most of the issues that I dealt with involved revoked or suspended driver's licenses. Child support, criminal record expungements, unemployment, and housing issues also arose. I was exposed to a wide array of legal issues in the LBEP unit, which made my job both challenging and rewarding. I had a tremendous amount of client contact, and was able to work with the various courts, agencies, and programs via phone and in person on a daily basis. I also worked on an unemployment case and represented a client before the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. With the help of my supervisor, I was able to obtain a strong writing sample. I went into BayLegal knowing exactly what I wanted, and am thankful that my supervisors were willing to help me achieve my goals. I would recommend BayLegal to anyone who enjoys working hard in a supportive and collaborative working environment.
I am a newly licensed attorney who volunteered in the Family Law Division of San Francisco Bay Area Legal Aid. I had a great experience there. I worked with extremely intelligent and compassionate attorneys and staff, and I was given the opportunity to do a lot of legal writing and attend hearings and client visits. For law students or new attorneys looking for a wonderful legal organization to volunteer for and great legal experience beyond the usual grunt work that most firms give their interns, I would definitely recommend Bay Area Legal Aid!
I am a law student at a local law school and I have interned at multiple non-profits in the Bay Area. However, Bay Area Legal Aid is by far the best place that I haev ever interned. At the San Francisco office interns get their own cubicle or office so we can work productively. The office staff is the nicest and most inclusive group of people ever. They also plan a lot of activities to encourage socializing among the staff and interns.
Most of all, interns meet with clients and handle entire cases on their own. That means you will have have a lot of responsibility but the work is extremely rewarding. It is really nice to learn a lot, enjoy your work environment, and be able to help those who need legal aid.
I'm an attorney at a firm and did a pro bono project through Bay Legal. They were absolutely great - they screen their clients and send you ones with good cases, and then provide wonderful support throughout the whole process. Thanks for a great, rewarding experience!
Hi
I am student in Cal State East Bay University. Studying Health Science going as a second Bachelor degree. I am from Jordan. Going to graduate in spring 2011. I am a single mother. I have wonderful boy he is 7 years old. I came to US in 2003 with my husband, married for 5 years. I get divorce after 5 years marriage from my husband. I was alone no family and no income. I have hard time all my years’ marriage ended with domestic violent. I contact Legal Aid to get help. They contact me fast and served me with wonderful lawyer Ms "Susan E. Casey" she help me a lot doing my court paper and keep contact me by phone and she even come to my house interviewed me because at the beginning I don't know how to go to her office because my ex husband doesn't allow me to drive far away from my house. She was very nice and any time I need to talk with her or have any problems or advice she responds immediately without any complain. She is a wonderful woman. Without Legal Aid and without lawyer Casey I can't finish my divorce paper and take the custody for my son. I am now almost finishing my study I still need 2 quarter to finish to have my degree in Health Science. I am doing a volunteer work in hospital in Administration department to have some experience help me to find a job after I finish. hopefully I can find Job.
I contacted Bay Area Legal Aid after I tried to find help everywhere else to no avail. It took a little time for them to be able to find someone to handle my case, but once they did I was put in touch with a wonderful and caring attorney named Susan Casey. She is handling my complicated divorce case pro-bono, as I can not afford to hire someone. My divorce was more than your typical departure of a relationship. My ex was threatening my life, as well as vandalizing my property, among other things making my daughters and my life way more difficult than necessary. I had no family in California and was still residing next door to me ex, so as you can imagine it was a volatile situation. Because of this, I was trying to move out of state with my daughter. However, everywhere I turned for help, I was basically told that he could do whatever he wanted to us, and the likelihood of me moving away with our daughter was still extremely slim. This might be a good time to mention that the courts offer all kinds of self help, in all types of situations... except move aways. So long story short Sue Casey was able to help me get moved out of state legally, while she handles my divorce case. She keeps me up-dated regularly with how things are going on my case, and handles all of the mediation so I don't have to deal with my ex. After my divorce is finalized Sue is going to help me get child support going, as I haven't received any help from my ex in about six years. This has been a life changing experience as I am now living thousands of miles away from harm and enjoying my new life. My daughter is very happy and finally doing well in school and her social life, and we owe it all to the Bay Area Legal Aid, and Susan Casey who volunteers for them.
I worked on three pro bono dissolution cases for legal aid, involving custody, child support and domestic violence. It's heart warming work if you ever starting to feel like an attorney droid, and a way to learn about an area of the law that you might not be familiar with. I was not familiar with family law prior to volunteering, but Genevieve was a great resource and was always quick to answer any of my questions. It feels great to help the clients move on with their lives, and all the clients were very appreciative.
I volunteered at Bay Area Legal Aid after I graduated from law school and was awaiting Bar results. This was one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences I have ever had. I was at the Redwood City office, where the staff was entirely positive, enthusiastic, helpful, and fun to be around. I felt valued as a volunteer, and I was immediately given the opportunity to work directly with clients. I felt adequately trained and prepared to handle all the responsibilities they gave me. My supervisor, Kristin Boscia, was amazing. She taught me so much about Family Law in a short period of time and directed me to many other resources.
After a reasonably successful career in Information Technology, I experienced a mid-life shift in values, went to law school, and in 2003 began a volunteer internship at Bay Area Legal Aid. Working under Genevieve Richardson, I learned to handle basic domestic violence restraining order and dissolution cases for families in poverty. Ms. Richardson’s compassion and mentorship have inspired me to continue working in this field ever since. After law school, I attended the Family Law Training Series sponsored by Bay Area Legal Aid and the Contra Costa Bar Association. This experience, along with Ms. Richardson’s guidance, gave me the confidence start my own practice focused on low-income families. Since 2003, I have found enormous satisfaction and inspiration in working with Bay Area Legal Aid clients as they make difficult changes in their family structures to provide better lives for themselves and their children.
I worked at Bay Area Legal Aid as a volunteer, and it has confirmed for me that I am definitely planning to go to law school. The responsibility I got to take on here coupled with the training was wonderful. I've learned more than I could have hoped, and I got to work under the supervision of a great attorney. I got to have clients, and take on a large majority of their case with a lot of help along the way. The staff here is great too, very friendly and welcoming. It's been an awesome experience.
At Bay Area Legal Aid, I worked in the medical access unit assisting a number of individual clients with legal problems related to medical issues or health insurance coverage. During my fairly short internship, I prevailed on several important cases. I gained a tremendous amount of experience and I would love to work their again sometime soon. Here's some examples of cases I worked on: First, I filed an appeal behalf of a client whose nursing home attempted to discharge him despite his need for on-going intensive care. At his hearing several doctors, nurses, social workers, and physical therapists testified that the client was ready for discharge. Nevertheless, we won the appeal and the client remains in the nursing home. In another case, I helped an uninsured client with Healthy San Francisco get authorization for a complex and badly-needed bone tumor removal surgery. The client recovered well from his surgery. Finally, I assisted several clients grappling with thousands of dollars of medical debt. I researched various hospitals' "charity care" programs and helped clients through the often-complex application process. I got great supervision and support on all of my cases.
Bay Area Legal Aid is a wonderful organization. I have volunteered my time and services to help people that would otherwise go unrepresented. It has been as rewarding for me as it has been for the people I have represented. In helping one individual with a difficult dissolution, I learned how to handle Moore/Marsden property divisions, and made a lifelong friend in the process. I have met many well qualified attorneys and have found a wonderful mentor within this organization as well. I have helped her with a number of cases and she has returned the favor by providing me with valuable insights into my most difficult cases. It has helped me both personally and professionally to be associated with Bay Area Legal Aid. I recommended it for any new attorney who wants to help others and benefit from the knowledgeable staff members that they will be working with. Sincerely, Michael R. Fosco, Esq.
I have assisted BALA twice with preparation for appellate arguments, and both times was very impressed with the attorneys handling the case on behalf of domestic violence clients. The BALA attorneys are very dedicated professionals that exceeded my expectations. It is a terrific resource for the community.
I serve as the pro bono coordinator for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, a large international law firm with offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park. Over the past two and a half years, I have worked with Bay Area Legal Aid ("BALA") to identify and place pro bono cases with our attorneys. BALA is an outstanding referral source for our pro bono attorneys because they consistently provide us with sophisticated, cutting edge cases that are of strong interest to our attorneys. In addition, they serve clients who are most in need in areas of law, such as family law and immigration, which are often difficult to place at a law firm. BALA's screening and mentoring are all first-rate. In addition, BALA has an outstanding pro bono coordinator who is incredibly responsive, understands the need of law firms, and provides great feedback, mentoring and support to us. Overall, I believe BALA is one of the finest legal services providers with which we work anywhere in the country.
As an attorney, I have done significant pro bono work in conjunction with Bay Area Legal Aid in the area of immigration law and domestic violence. The Bay Area Legal Aid attorneys with whom I have worked are fantastic, committed professionals who have far exceeded my expectations. Their commitment to the communities they serve is remarkable, and I very much appreciate their efforts to reach out to attorneys in the private sector in order to assist us all in fulfilling our commitment to the communities in which we live and work. Thank you!
In my experience, Bay Area Legal is staffed by dedicated professionals who really believe in what they are doing. Bay Area Legal organized training in Family Law which featured very useful materials and presentations by family court judges and experienced family lawyers. I don't know where else I could have gotten such great training. Also, Bay Area Legal attorneys did a tremendous job in mentoring me as I dealt with my first family law and immigration issues.