Legal Clinics in Alameda County
Below is a list of legal clinics offered by various local legal aid offices and other organizations. Please see our list of legal aid organizations that you can contact that offer many more types of free legal help beyond the list of periodic clinics listed below.
GENERAL LEGAL CLINICS
CLASP (Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program)
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- All topics telephone legal clinic held the first Saturday of the month, except for January and July. Call (510) 485-9933 between 10:00 a.m. -noon; attorney calls back that afternoon.
- CLASP Program Flyer (PDF)
Dads Evoking Change
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- Addressing clean slate, traffic, housing denials, eviction, employment background checks, professional licensing, RAP sheet/background check errors, identity theft, credit reporting, consumer debt issues
- Last Tuesday of the month, 1:30-4:30 pm
- (510) 575-9437 or info@dadsevokingchange.com
Pope Francis Legal Clinic
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- Volunteer attorneys are available for free consultation on all cases involving those burdened with legal problems, regardless of religious or financial backgrounds
- Consultations by appointment only. Call (510) 893-4711
- Address: The Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612-3788
The JDC Legal Help Center at the Oakland Courthouse (Federal District Court Cases)
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- In-person appointments are available on Mondays and Wednesdays between 9am and 5:00pm (walk-ins may be available)
- Address: United States Courthouse, 1301 Clay Street 4th Floor, Room 470S, Oakland, CA 94612
- Appointment line: (415) 782-8982
APPEALS
California Civil Appellate Self-Help Workshop – (Civil Unlimited Appeals only)
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- First Wednesday of the month via Zoom
- Online registration required
BANKRUPTCY
Legal Access Alameda Bankruptcy Clinic
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- Personal assistance with filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy forms. Registration required. Contact Legal Access Alameda to register. Patrons can also call (510) 302-2227 to start the clinic intake process.
- Program Flyer (PDF)
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Below is a list of consumer protection clinics. Please see our Consumer Law and Debt Collection Referral Sheet for a list of legal aid offices that offer many more services than the periodic clinics listed below.
Centro Legal De La Raza Consumer Protection Clinic
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- Fights fraud against low-income community members by educating them about their rights as consumers and advocates for victims of unlawful consumer practices.
- One clinic per month – call (510) 437-1554 for an appointment
Bay Area Legal Aid Consumer Rights Legal Clinic
This a free legal clinic organized by Bay Area Legal Aid that will give you information and assistance on your consumer issue. You must make an appointment. There are four locations in the Bay Area:
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- Bay Point, held on the 3rd Friday of the month. Call (925) 655-3700
- Redwood City, held on the 1st Wednesday of the month. Call (650) 363-4913 Please note: San Mateo County residents only
- Richmond, held on the 1st Friday of the month. Call (510) 779-3200
- San Francisco, held on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month. Call (415) 982-1300
CRIMINAL LAW
Bay Area Legal Aid Reentry Workshops/Clinics
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- Along with other Reentry services, Bay Area Legal Aid has regular workshops throughout the month to help with expungement/clean slate questions. See their website for times and locations.
- Contact information:
- Oakland office: (510) 663-4744
- Legal Advice Line: (800) 551-5554
- Richmond office: (510) 233-9954
- California Relay Service: Dial 7-1-1 or from TTY dial 1-800-735-2929 or visit California Relay Service for more information
Clean Slate Clinic
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- Once a month at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office
- Walk in hours, 3rd Thursday of the month from 9-11 AM at 545 4th Street in Oakland, CA
Dads Evoking Change Clean Slate/Criminal Records
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- 746 Grand Ave Portable A Oakland, CA 94610 (833) 873-7329
- Drop-in legal clinic on the last Tuesday/month
- Fathers can drop in for free legal consultations with civil law attorneys on a variety of matters including Clean Slate / Criminal Record Remedies (expungement).
Housing & Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)
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- 610 16th Street, Suite 420 Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 271-8443
- California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) and HERA are currently engaged in a collaborative homeless prevention effort. If you are interested in clearing your criminal record, please contact CRLA at (805) 902-CRLA or email reentry@crla.org
Root and Rebound Northern California Programs and Services
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- Reentry Legal hotline, Fridays from 9am-3pm (PST) (510) 279-4662
- Provides free reentry legal advice. Record cleaning clinics are sometimes available. You can get in touch by reaching out to info@rootandrebound.org
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Centro Legal De La Raza Workers’ Rights Clinic
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- Remote clinics hosted by Centro Legal De La Raza:
- 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on the third Wednesday of each month
- 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the second, fourth and applicable fifth Thursday of the month
- Make an appointment by calling (510) 437-1554, or emailing info@centrolegal.org
- Remote clinics hosted by Centro Legal De La Raza:
Legal Aid at Work Workers’ Rights Clinic
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- Provides low-income and unemployed people with free, confidential information about their legal rights related to work in California. They provide services in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and many other languages
- Northern California Locations and phone numbers:
- Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco/East Palo Alto: (415) 404-9093
Centro Legal De La Raza Workers’ Compensation Clinic
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- Free consultations at the Oakland office.
- Every Wednesday – call (510) 437-1554 for an appointment
FAMILY LAW
Dads Evoking Change – Custody/Support
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- Every Tuesday. 1:30-4:30 pm at 746 Grand Ave. Portable A, Oakland CA, 94610
- Walk in clinic, first come, first served, but must arrive by 3:00 pm
Divorce/Legal Separation/Annulment/Financial Disclosures Self-Help Clinics
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- Offered by the Alameda Superior Court Self-Help Center
- Times and dates are posted on the website. Scroll down to Workshops
Centro Legal De La Raza Family Law Clinic
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- Free consultations in the Oakland office.
- One clinic per month – call (510) 437-1554 for an appointment.
GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
Homeless Action Center Drop-In Clinic
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- Available for in-person and phone consultation, whether or not the person is a client with an active legal case, they can help with questions about legal public benefits issues and non-legal service issues.
- In-person clinic:
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- Oakland: 2601 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612, Monday-Thursday from 1:00-5:00 pm
- Berkeley: 2150 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
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- Phone clinic
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- Oakland: (510) 695-2260
- Berkeley: (510) 540-0878
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IMMIGRATION
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach Immigration Clinic
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- Once a month; Third Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:00 pm via Zoom/phone
- Call (415) 567-6255
Immigration Institute Citizenship Clinic
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- Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Oakland Office, located at 476 3rd Street, Oakland, CA 94607
- Phone: (510) 451-2846; Email: oakphones@iibayarea.org
Centro Legal De La Raza Immigrants’ Rights
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- Text (510) 994-0676 or email Irclinics@centrolegal.org for DACA or Citizenship clinics
- For other inquiries, call the main line (510) 437-1554 or email info@centrolegal.org
LANDLORD/TENANT
Below is a list of landlord tenant clinics. Please see our Tenant and Eviction Referrals Sheet for a list of legal aid offices that offer many services beyond the period clinics listed below.
Housing Resource Desk
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- The HRD is located in the lobby of 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza and is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am – noon and 1pm – 3pm. and is staffed by the Rent Adjustment Program
- The HRD can direct community members to the appropriate department or program, depending on the services or help sought (e.g., Code Enforcement, Rent Registration, Home Maintenance and Improvement, Lead-Safe Homes, and others) as well as connect members of the public with other city or county resources (e.g., financial rental assistance, legal aid, affordable housing, homelessness intervention, etc)
- The HRD can also help schedule an appointment with a RAP Housing Counselor. Appointments are conducted by phone, virtual (Zoom), or in-person, and can also be requested online. Topics include (but are not limited to) rent increases, habitability concerns, decreases in services, evictions, and others. Please note RAP Housing Counselors cannot give legal advice nor provide legal document review
- Call (510) 238-3721, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for more information
In-Person Eviction Response Clinic
At this clinic, attendees seeking assistance with answering an unlawful detainer (eviction) complaint will be guided through the Tenant Power Toolkit to complete the necessary court forms.
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- Walk-ins Only
- Participants must bring their summons and complaint to the clinic
- Locations:
- Alameda County Law Library, 125 12th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
- First and Third Fridays of the Month, 10:00 am – 1:00pm
- lawlib@acgov.org or (510) 208-4832
- Oakland Public Library – Main Branch, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
- cdavis@oaklandlibary.org/ PH: (510) 238-6040
- First Sunday of the month, 3:00-4:30 p.m
- Oakland Public Library – West Oakland Branch, 1801 Adeline Street, Oakland, California 94607
- cdavis@oaklandlibary.org/ PH: (510) 238-6040
- Third Tuesday of the month, 6:00-7:30 pm
- Alameda County Law Library, 125 12th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
Legal Access Alameda Low Income Landlord Clinic
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- Twice a month and the dates rotate; Contact Legal Access Alameda to make an appointment
- To register call (510) 302-2222, option 4
Centro Legal De La Raza Tenants’ Rights Clinic
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- Serve tenants who meet Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Income Limits. Proof of income may be required to receive services.
- Call to confirm clinic schedule and register. Please email tenantsrights@centrolegal.org (Alameda County tenants) or cctr@centrolegal.org (Contra Costa tenants) or call (510) 437-1554 to register for upcoming clinics and workshops
East Bay Community Law Center Tenants Rights Clinic
Sponsored by East Bay Community Law Center, this clinic occurs on Fridays during the Spring and Fall Semesters of the Berkeley Law School.
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- To make an appointment call (510) 548-4040 then press “0”. Call early in the week to make an appointment for the Friday clinic
- The appointment is in person at the EBCLC office, located 2921 Adeline St, Berkeley CA 94703
- For Spring 2026, the last day of the clinic is April 10, 2026.
PROBATE/GUARDIANSHIP/CONSERVATORSHIP
Court Accounting Workshop
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- Offered by Contra Costa County Public Law Library via Zoom
- Workshop attendees MUST register in advance. Registration ends two (2) days before the scheduled class. Please call the Contra Costa County Public Law Library at (925) 655-4627 or email programs@LL.cccounty.us to sign-up and obtain the Zoom invitation & additional information.
- Dates and Time (usually the third Thursday of every other month), 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.:
- Thursday January 15, 2026 (register before 1/13)
- Thursday April 23, 2026 (register before 4/21)
- Thursday June 18, 2026 (register before 6/16)
- Thursday August 20, 2026 (register before 8/18)
- Thursday October 15, 2026 (register before 10/13)
Guardianship/Limited Conservatorship Clinic from the Self-Help Center
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- First and Third Mondays for new cases; Second and fourth Mondays for existing cases.
- Call (510) 272-1393 to make an appointment
- Program Flyer (PDF)
ACBA Property Transfer Clinic
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- Third Friday of the month
- Make the appointment online through the Alameda County Library web page
TAX
VITA Clinics
Alameda County Library VITA Clinic:
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- Alameda County Library has monthly, walk-in VITA events; first come first served. Visit the website for dates and times. For tax clinics, Trained volunteers will prepare and file taxes for persons/households earning less than $69,000 in 2025
Oakland Public Library VITA Clinic:
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- Clinics are held at multiple branches. Appointments only. Visit the website for locations, information for making an appointment, and a list of the documents you should bring to your appointment.
The Unity Council VITA Clinic:
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- The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $69,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns
4Cs of Alameda County VITA Clinic:
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- 4Cs of Alameda County will begin providing FREE tax preparation services to low to middle-income families and individuals in Alameda County. 4Cs of Alameda County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program ensures eligible taxpayers have access to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other federal and state credits that put money back into the pockets of Alameda County’s working families and individuals.
- Telephone: (510) 925-4018
- Email: vita@4c-alameda.org
Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco Tax Clinic
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- The Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) assists low-income taxpayers who have tax issues with the IRS. They can help taxpayers in controversy with the IRS, individuals who have filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court and individuals who need help in obtaining other relief for a tax obligation. They do not generally assist in tax return preparation, and only provides assistance with a state or local tax controversy to taxpayers if the Clinic is also assisting in a federal tax controversy. They can also provide assistance to unrepresented litigants who need assistance on the day of the U.S. Tax Court calendar call
- Client Intake Line: (415) 782-8978; Email: litc@sfbar.org
UC Law SF Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
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- The UC Law SF Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (“LITC”) is a service of the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco that aims to help qualifying low-income individuals with their tax problems with the IRS. The LITC helps taxpayers with an income less than 250% of the poverty level. The amount in dispute must also be less than $50,000 for any taxable year. For qualified taxpayers, this service is free of charge. See webpage for complete list of services they provide
- Phone: (415) 703-8287; Email: litc@uclawsf.edu
Updated 4.02.2026