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- EIN 23-7105149
- (213) 385-2977
- 610 S Ardmore Ave Los Angeles CA 90005 USA
- www.publiccounsel.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Crime & Law, Legal Services
Mission: Public counsel is the nation's largest public interest law firm specializing in delivering pro bono legal services to low-income communities. Founded in 1970, public counsel strives to achieve three main goals: protecting the legal rights of disadvantaged children; representing immigrants who have been the victims of torture, persecution, domestic violence, trafficking, and other crimes; and fostering economic justice by providing individuals and institutions in underserved communities with access to quality legal representation. Through a pro bono model that leverages the talents and dedication of thousands of attorney and law student volunteers, public counsel delivers free or low-cost legal assistance to low-income clients and addresses systemic poverty and civil rights issues through impact litigation and policy advocacy.
Programs: Children's rights: public counsel staff attorneys, social workers and social work interns work with pro bono attorneys and law students to empower children and youth to meet their wide range of needs in civil legal matters, including guardianship, education rights, special education, government benefits, foster care benefits, school truancy and removals, and teen parenting. We also provide representation to children whose parents are terminally ill, and advocate for children with developmental disabilities. As part of our work with children, our adoptions unit represents parents adopting children in the foster care system.
immigrants rights: public counsel staff and volunteers provide pro bono representation to individuals seeking asylum on the basis of persecution due to nationality, race, religion, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Public counsel staff and volunteers also represent victims of serious crimes who become eligible for immigration benefits through cooperation with law enforcement officials, as well as immigrants who have suffered abuse at the hand of citizen or permanent resident spouses. Staff attorneys and volunteers also represent abused, abandoned and neglected children under the jurisdiction of state dependency, delinquency and probate courts who cannot reunify with their parent/s, and unaccompanied minors fleeing violence in their home countries. Staff and volunteers also provide advice and education to immigrants in detention and low-cost representation to immigrants who arrived in this country as children and may be eligible for deferred action for childhood arrivals.
homelessness prevention: public counsel's staff attorneys and intake coordinators partner with volunteer attorneys and law students in an effort to reduce the number of homeless people in our community by focusing on the needs of individuals that are at high risk of ending up homeless or becoming chronically homeless. We provide advocacy and advice to impoverished, hungry and homeless individuals to help them secure shelter, food, transportation, healthcare and social services. Focused legal clinics in parts of the county where families are at greater risk of homelessness provide direct advocacy services to at-risk families to enable them to access cash aid, transitional housing and other essential benefits. We also provide pro bono and low cost eviction defense representation and conduct walk-in clinics for homeless and at-risk youth.