17 Resources
LAFLA is the oldest and largest legal aid organization in California, founded in 1929. Income-qualifying mothers in LA County receive free representation in custody, divorce, DV restraining orders, and housing matters. Specialized units include the Domestic Violence Project, Self-Sufficiency Project for CalWORKs recipients, and an Immigration Practice for mixed-status families. Six neighborhood offices serve the county; the Wilshire HQ runs the central intake line.
(800) 399-4529 · 1550 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Bay Area Legal Aid serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties from its Oakland headquarters. Free family law representation prioritizes mothers experiencing domestic violence, with attorneys co-located at courthouse-based DV protective order clinics in each county. BayLegal also operates a multilingual Legal Advice Line and a specialized housing eviction defense practice. Intake is by phone or via online application; income limits follow LSC guidelines.
(800) 551-5554 · 1735 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
The Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) serves over 70,000 county residents annually through neighborhood offices in Old Town, City Heights, El Cajon, and Oceanside. Free family law help focuses on custody, divorce, paternity, and DV restraining orders, with a dedicated Domestic Violence Unit. LASSD also runs the Health Consumer Center for Medi-Cal appeals and a Tax Clinic. Mothers can apply by phone or in person; some clinics accept walk-ins.
(877) 534-2524 · 1764 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Inland Counties Legal Services is the LSC-funded legal aid program covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a service area larger than nine US states combined. Free representation focuses on family law, DV protective orders, evictions, and CalWORKs/Medi-Cal denials. Offices in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Indio coordinate with the courts' self-help centers on weekly DVRO clinics. Spanish-speaking advocates are available at every site.
(888) 245-4257 · 1040 Iowa Ave Suite 109, Riverside, CA 92507 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Central California Legal Services covers the agricultural San Joaquin Valley including Fresno, Kings, Merced, Mariposa, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties. Free representation includes a strong farmworker family practice, with attorneys handling custody, paternity, DV restraining orders, and the wage-and-hour issues that often accompany them. Bilingual Spanish staff are standard; some offices employ Hmong-speaking advocates. Outreach clinics travel to rural areas like Mendota and Porterville monthly.
(800) 675-8001 · 2115 Kern St, Fresno, CA 93721 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County (NLSLA) serves the San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley, and the Pueblo area east of downtown LA. Free family law representation prioritizes mothers facing DV, custody disputes, and benefits denials. NLSLA pioneered the medical-legal partnership model with Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, embedding attorneys in clinics serving pregnant and postpartum mothers. Phone intake operates four days a week; in-person intake by appointment only.
(800) 433-6251 · 1104 E Chevy Chase Dr, Glendale, CA 91205 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
LawHelpCA is the official California portal funded by the State Bar and Legal Services Corporation, helping mothers find the closest legal aid office by zip code and legal issue. The site indexes 100+ California organizations including LAFLA, BayLegal, LASSD, and county bar association pro bono panels. Plain-language guides cover restraining orders, custody, divorce without children, and CalWORKs hearings. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Russian.
Online resource · 24/7 online
The California Women's Law Center is a statewide impact-litigation and policy nonprofit focused exclusively on advancing women's rights. Their family law and reproductive justice projects litigate cases that shape California precedent, while a free legal information line answers individual questions about gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and Title IX. CWLC does not provide direct representation in most custody cases but refers callers to appropriate legal aid programs.
(323) 951-1041 · 360 N Pacific Coast Hwy Suite 2070, El Segundo, CA 90245 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm · Visit Website
Legal Services Corporation, established by Congress in 1974, funds 132 independent legal aid programs nationwide including California's largest providers like LAFLA, BayLegal, and Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance. The LSC search tool maps each program by service area so mothers can find the right local office. LSC also publishes the Justice Gap Report documenting unmet civil legal need, useful for understanding why intake lines are often full.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
LawHelp.org is the national hub that powers state portals like LawHelpCA, connecting mothers to free legal aid by location and topic. Plain-language articles explain custody, restraining orders, divorce, and public benefits with state-by-state variations called out. Useful for mothers in mixed-jurisdiction situations, such as those moving from California to another state during a custody case, who need a quick orientation to the new state's rules.
Nationwide · Online
The ABA's Free Legal Answers platform lets income-qualifying mothers in California post a civil legal question online and receive a written reply from a volunteer attorney within days. The companion directory lists free clinics, court self-help centers, and pro bono panels in every California county. Questions stay anonymous; no in-person meeting is required. Best for discrete questions where a phone call to the courthouse facilitator hasn't given you a clear answer.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Pro Bono Net runs the platforms (LawHelp, LawHelpInteractive) that California legal aid programs use to deliver online intake and document assembly. Their tools let mothers complete custody and DV restraining order forms guided by a step-by-step interview, then print court-ready packets at home. The site also recruits California attorneys to staff virtual clinics, expanding capacity for rural counties without nearby legal aid offices.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Justia's free legal aid directory cross-references California legal aid offices with the relevant practice area, useful when a generic search keeps turning up criminal-defense programs that cannot help with custody. Each listing includes intake phone numbers, service-area maps, and links to the organization's own website. Justia also hosts the largest free database of California appellate decisions, valuable if you need to read the actual cases your judge will rely on.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
WomensLaw.org's Find Help tool is curated specifically for survivors needing attorneys who understand DV dynamics, including the California rebuttable presumption under Family Code 3044 and the safe-disclosure rules in custody cases involving abuse. The Email Hotline answers individual questions within a week. Safety planning resources cover everything from leaving the relationship to navigating family court testimony. A quick-exit button clears the page if you must hide your screen.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence aggregates legal advocacy resources for survivors, including California-specific protective order rules and the firearm-relinquishment provisions that follow a DVRO under Family Code 6389. NCADV's policy team works on VAWA reauthorization and state law improvements, and the Get Help page links to California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and member shelters. A safety check button is built into every page.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Stateside Legal serves women veterans and military spouses navigating VA benefits, family law, and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. For California mothers married to active-duty members at Camp Pendleton, Edwards, Travis, or any of the state's many bases, the site explains how SCRA stays affect custody hearings and how deployment impacts family-care plans. Articles are written by legal aid attorneys specializing in military practice. Free for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
The DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review maintains the official list of recognized organizations and accredited representatives authorized to provide free or low-cost immigration legal help. California has the largest concentration of these providers nationally. Mothers in mixed-status families, U-visa applicants for DV survivors, and VAWA self-petitioners can find a qualified attorney here. The list is updated quarterly and searchable by city or county.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website