Housing Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors: Webinar Series Starts Today — Registration Is Still Open!

Categories: Homepage, News
Flyer for Housing Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors Webinar
Bay Area Legal Aid in partnership with the Latina Coalition’s ELLA Program presents a webinar series: / Bay Area Legal Aid en colaboración con el programa “ELLA” de la Coalición Latina de Silicon Valley presenta una serie de seminarios web: Housing Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors / Derechos de Vivienda para Sobrevivantes de Violencia Doméstica …

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Updates on BayLegal’s Advocacy with the Judicial Council of California

Categories: Advocacy, Homepage, News
California Judicial Council Seal, which includes a picture of Roman goddess Minerva
The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, BayLegal has worked with the Judicial Council to advocate for the needs of low-income litigants and for overall public safety within the legal system, supporting the statewide suspension of eviction proceedings along with court closures and changes to procedures to …

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Fighting for Second Chances: BayLegal’s Reentry Unit

Categories: 20th Anniversary, Anniversary Interview Series, Anniversary Timeline, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, News
A cartoon figure stands behind bars with the barriers to reentry listed in red around them
“Fear isn’t holding me back as much”   Luke is the father of two boys. One is three years old, the other seven. He works for a subcontracting company in the East Bay, where he spoke to us by phone from the company’s warehouse. “We’re still working during the pandemic,” he explained. “A lot of …

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Racial Injustice and Our Work

Categories: 20th Anniversary, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
Through our partnerships, individual legal representation, impact litigation, and policy advocacy, we work to break down the barriers that prevent members of our communities from accessing basic necessities of life—healthcare, housing, food, employment—in order to increase their opportunities to lead safe and stable lives. Looming large over our work is the knowledge that many of …

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“All I Needed to Do Was Tell My Story”: A Survivor’s Perspective

Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
clasped hands of a mother and daughter
Anna works as a full-time medical assistant, and she is a single mother to a three-year-old daughter. She explained with a laugh that those details alone describe her life at present: “There’s no time for anything!” Anna generously took time out of her lunch break to share her experience seeking legal representation for protection against …

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Perspectives on Advocacy for Survivors of Domestic Abuse and Interpersonal Violence

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Domestic violence prevention has been a fundamental part of BayLegal’s service model since the organization’s inception in 2000 through the merger of several smaller legal services firms. In BayLegal’s first year, advocates operated a Domestic Violence Legal Clinic that served over 1,000 people. Today, BayLegal operates six Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) Clinics five days …

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A Holistic Model for Serving Low-Income Immigrant Survivors

Categories: Homepage, News
The September 2019 issue of Contra Costa Lawyer features an article co-authored by Mélody Saint-Saëns, Immigration Regional Counsel at BayLegal, and Juliana Morgan-Trostle, Equal Justice Works Fellow (sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP), regarding the importance of a comprehensive approach to legal services for low-income immigrant survivors of interpersonal violence. Our immigrant clients include survivors of …

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2017-18 Annual Report (updated)

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News, Recognition
Our Shared Accomplishments for Equal Justice Our 2017-18 Annual Report tells the story of the scope, depth, and commitment of our work for equal justice: the hundreds of thousands of lives changed through BayLegal’s representation and our impact strategies; the lasting victories for fair housing, healthcare access, family safety and stability, and a functioning social …

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Bay Area Legal Aid files lawsuit to compel San Francisco Police Department to comply with the law and protect survivors of domestic violence

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
UPDATED May 16, 2019: Since our filing, we have seen significant coverage of this critical issue for survivors’ legal rights in Bay Area media. Stories filed to date include: “SFPD’s Non-Compliance Means Life or Death for Domestic Violence Survivors,” Ida Mojadad in SF Weekly, May 16, 2019 “Domestic violence survivors sue SFPD over alleged foot-dragging …

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BayLegal demands that San Francisco Police Department comply with state law protecting domestic violence survivors

Categories: Homepage, News
Neighborhood in San Francisco with the Bay Bridge int the background
On Tuesday, April 16th, BayLegal attorney Fawn Jade Korr and co-counsel Jeanne Finberg sent a letter to the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco City Attorney’s office demanding that the SFPD produce a plan to come into compliance with CA Family Code § 6228. This statute requires law enforcement agencies to produce copies of …

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Join BayLegal and the Family Justice Center for a Training — All About Domestic Violence Restraining Orders

Categories: Homepage, News
All About Domestic Violence Restraining Orders Bay Area Legal Aid Family Law attorneys will conduct this training to help providers and community members recognize domestic violence and know what options and resources are available for survivors in Contra Costa County. Learning Objectives Participants will learn to: Define what a domestic violence restraining order can and …

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BayLegal advocacy pushes SFPD to comply with state law and protect survivors

Categories: Homepage, News
Neighborhood in San Francisco with the Bay Bridge int the background
A story in today’s SF Examiner details the role of Bay Area Legal Aid attorneys and volunteers including Fawn Jade Koopman and Jeanne Finberg, in pushing the San Francisco Police Department to comply with state law requiring timely release of police reports to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Timely release of these reports is …

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