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 CLINICS

CLASP (Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program)

Dads Evoking Change 

    • 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
    • 510-575-9437 or info@dadsevokingchange.com

​Pope Francis Legal Clinic

    • 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
    • Website: https://ctlcathedral.org/pope-francis-legal-clinic
    • 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)

APPEALS

California Civil Appellate Self-Help Workshop – (Civil Unlimited Appeals only)

BANKRUPTCY

Bankruptcy Clinic

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.

Consumer Protection Clinic

 

    • Centro Legal De La Raza https://www.centrolegal.org/drop-in-clinics/
    • 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 – please call 510-437-1554 for an appointment

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:

    • 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

    • Along with other Reentry services, Bay Area Legal Aid has regular workshops throughout the month to help with expungement/clean slate questions. See their page for times and locations:  https://baylegal.org/legal-areas/reentry/
    • 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

Dads Evoking Change

    • 746 Grand Ave Portable A Oakland, CA 94610 (833) 873-7329
    • Drop-in legal clinic on the last Tuesday/month www.dadsevokingchange.org
    • 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)

    • 610 16th Street, Suite 420 Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 271-8443 www.heraca.org
    • 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

    • 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

Workers’ Rights

    • 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
    • To ensure a chance to speak to an attorney, make an appointment by calling 510-437-1554, or emailing info@centrolegal.org

Workers’ Rights Clinic

    • Presented by Legal Aid at Work (https://legalaidatwork.org/) the Workers’ Rights Clinic 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
      • Sacramento:  (916) 905-5857 

Workers’ Compensation Clinic

FAMILY LAW

Dads Evoking Change – Custody/Support

    • Every Tuesday. 1:30-4:30 at 746 Grand Ave. Portable A, Oakland CA, 94610
    • Walk in clinic, first come, first served, but must arrive by 3:00

Divorce/Legal Separation/Annulment, Financial Disclosures, or Small Claims

Family Law Clinic

GOVERNMENT BENEFITS

Homeless Action Center Drop-In Clinic

    • 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:
        • Oakland: 2601 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612, Monday-Thursday from 1:00-5:00
        • Berkeley: 2150 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
    • Phone clinic
        • Oakland: (510) 695-2260
        • Berkeley: (510) 540-0878
    • Website:  https://homelessactioncenter.org/programs/drop-in/

IMMIGRATION

Asian Pacific Islander Immigration Clinic

Citizenship Clinic

    • Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Oakland Office, located at 476 3rd Street, Oakland, CA 94607
    • Phone:  (510) 451-2846; Email:  oakphones@iibayarea.org

Immigrants’ Rights

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

    • 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 here: https://apps.oaklandca.gov/rapapptreq/  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 (tenantpowertoolkit.org) to complete the necessary court forms.

    • 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
      • Oakland Public Library – West Oakland Branch, 1801 Adeline Street, Oakland, California 94607

Low Income Landlord Clinic

    • Twice a month and the dates rotate; Contact Legal Access Alameda to make an appointment
    • To register call 510-302-2222, option 4

Tenants’ Rights Clinic

    • Centro Legal De La Raza
    • Website:  https://www.centrolegal.org/drop-in-clinics/
    • They can only 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

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.

    • To make an appointment call 510-548-4040, the 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

    • 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

Property Transfer Clinic

TAX

VITA Clinics

Alameda County Library

The Oakland Public Library:

    • 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
    • Website: https://oaklandlibrary.org/tax-help/

The Unity Council

    • 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
    • Website: https://unitycouncil.org/program/vita/

4Cs of Alameda County

    • 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.  This flyer has more information about their program
    • Website: https://4calameda.org/parents-families/free-tax-preparation-filing/
    • Telephone: (510) 925-4018
    • Email: vita@4c-alameda.org

Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco

    • 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
    • Website: https://www.sfbar.org/jdc/jdc-legal-services-programs/low-income-taxpayer-clinic/
    • Client Intake Line: (415) 782-8978; Email: litc@sfbar.org

UC Law SF Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic

    • 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
    • Website: https://www.uclawsf.edu/clinical-programs/low-income-taxpayer-clinic/low-income-taxpayer-clinic-community-information/
    • Phone: 415-703-8287 ; Email: litc@uclawsf.edu

Updated 3.27.2026