Spotlighting the Barriers Social Security Disability Applicants Face in an Increasingly Adversarial System

Categories: Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
An article in today’s Washington Post exposes some of the deep structural barriers faced by applicants for disability benefits in the Social Security system. Rising rates of initial denials, quota systems increasing the likelihood that legitimate claims are denied, large numbers of denials remanded on appeal only to be denied again—the picture that emerges shows …

Read More

Asistencia para víctimas de robo del pago de renta en la ciudad de Napa | Help for victims of rent check theft in Napa

Categories: Announcements, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
¿Fue victima de robo del pago de renta en el mes de Marzo 2023? Aplique HOY para Asistencia Financiera: KeepNapaCountyHoused.org Documentos Requeridos: Verificaciòn de Identidad (ID del estado, pasaporte, cualquier identificaciòn reciente con foto, nombre completo, y fecha de nacimiento) Verificaciòn de Ingresos (talones de pago, taxes) Verificaciòn de Residencia en Napa (contrato de arrendamiento, …

Read More

Welcoming Equal Justice Works Fellow Renée Coe

Categories: Announcements, Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Other
Bay Area Legal Aid is pleased to share the public announcement of this year’s Equal Justice Works Fellows, and excited to welcome EJW Fellow Renée Coe, whose two-year EJW Fellowship project will serve BayLegal’s Consumer Protection clients.  Renée’s focus on consumer scams and fraud targeting immigrants and people with limited English proficiency (LEP) will help …

Read More

Litigation Victory Signals End to California Courts’ Illegal Late Fees That Penalized Poverty for Profit

Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Raya Steier, 530-723-2426, rsteier@lccrsf.org   ***PRESS RELEASE*** Litigation Victory Signals End to California Courts’ Illegal Late Fees That Penalized Poverty for Profit.   San Francisco, CA- The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, and Bay Area …

Read More

Investigative journalist uncovers significant additional evidence of “sewer service” by debt buyer ASI

Categories: Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News
An independent investigative report in inewsource—a nonprofit news service in San Diego—appears to corroborate and add data to the allegations against debt collector Achievable Solutions, Inc. (ASI) in the suit filed by Bay Area Legal Aid and co-counsel firms Kemnitzer, Barron & Krieg and Bramson, Plutzik, Mahler & Birkhaeuser, LLP. Jake Harper’s April 6th story, …

Read More

Raising Awareness of Financial Scams Targeting API Communities

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
On March 31st, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a briefing in San Francisco to raise awareness of scams targeting API communities. Participants included San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu along with representatives of community organizations, victims of scams, and Bay Area API media. Speakers shared information about financial crimes targeting members of API communities …

Read More

The Bay Area’s Toll Debt Explosion

Categories: Attorneys, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
A story in yesterday’s East Bay Times and other Bay Area News Group publications by Eliyahu Kamisher features BayLegal attorney Rachel Hoerger and her client Brenda Angulo. Ms. Angulo is one of a growing number of lower-income drivers in the Bay Area affected by the growing web of automated express lane and bridge toll payment …

Read More

Lunar New Year – Celebration, Mourning, and the Need for Change

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
Dear friends and colleagues, Sunday, January 22, was the beginning of the Lunar New Year.  Lunar New Year is celebrated in multiple communities across the Asian Diaspora starting on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar.  While each culture has its own traditions, unifying components include prioritizing time to connect with …

Read More

New Resource: Benefits and Health Care Rights for Those Impacted by Flooding

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
Bay Area Legal Aid has prepared this helpful one-page resource for individuals and families whose health care, health coverage, and/or public benefits might be impacted by flooding or storm-related issues. Download the PDF here. And be sure to check out resources from our partner agencies and organizations, posted on our website here and here.

More resources for Californians affected by winter storms and floods

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
Following up on last week’s resource-sharing post, we have compiled some additional links to legal and emergency service help for families affected by this winter’s severe storms. Resources include help for tenants needing repairs, recovery of lost documents, legal assistance hotlines in multiple languages, reporting numbers for flooding and other emergencies, and a number of …

Read More

Coverage of BayLegal’s suit against Achievable Solutions Inc. (ASI) for fraudulent debt collection practices

Categories: Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News, Other
We are pleased to share this story by Shwanika Narayan in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, providing a closer look at Bay Area Legal Aid’s ongoing lawsuit against debt collector Achievable Solutions, Inc. (ASI). Our suit, filed in 2022 with co-counsel firms Kemnitzer, Barron & Krieg and Bramson, Plutzik, Mahler & Birkhaeuser, LLP, alleges that ASI …

Read More

Emergency response and Know Your Rights information from ACCE Action: East Bay Tenants – what to do if your apartment floods

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
Thanks to our colleagues at Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action, for the following video Know Your Rights and how-to presentation for East Bay tenants impacted by this month’s severe rain and flooding. @acce_actionStay dry♬ Rain sound (indoor, window opening)(837944) – Yuki Shizuoka Sound