Press Room

On September 25, 2019, The Press (of East Contra Costa County) reported that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has placed an indefinite moratorium on locally imposed criminal justice fees. County officials implemented the measure in order to examine the effect of fines, fees, and collection practices on low-income community members. Community advocates have …

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In August 2019, Bay Area Legal Aid, in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library, organized the first Name and Gender Marker Legal Clinic ever held on the Library’s premises. The clinic helped transgender members of our community with the paperwork necessary to change legal documents to reflect their name and gender, and also offered …

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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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In a September 18, 2019 segment on Univisión 14, BayLegal attorney Jessica Jenkins explained to Spanish-speaking viewers why participation in the 2020 United States Census is important: “Es muy importante que todos participan in el censo para que sean contados. Con esa información el gobierno da nuestros ciudades recursos importantes para nuestros escuelas, y otros …

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Last month, Executive Director Genevieve Richardson introduced Skyler M. Rosellini, Staff Attorney with our Health Consumer Center (HCC) and his inspiring client, Álida Pepper, to an audience gathered to recognize the importance of investment in civil legal aid—and the need for more. The event was hosted by the American Bar Association at their annual meeting …

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An August 26th story on Univisión 14 features a Richmond tenant and BayLegal client, Susana, who is facing eviction from one of three storage units that were illegally constructed by the landlord and subsequently red-tagged by the City of Richmond. Susana, along with the other tenants of these units, came to BayLegal through our Richmond …

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BayLegal Equal Justice Works Fellow (sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP) Juliana Morgan-Trostle appeared on Univision 14 last Friday to help dispel misinformation and address widespread concerns about the ways in which receiving certain public benefits might impact immigration status with the implementation of the new public charge rule scheduled for October 15, 2019. The interview …

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Yesterday’s installment of City Visions, airing on NPR-affiliate KALW 91.7 FM, San Francisco, presented a discussion of ballooning student debt levels in the Bay Area and nationally. Participants included: Juliana Fredman, BayLegal senior consumer attorney Jacob Dumez, Manager of Policy and Partners in the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment Suzanne Martindale, Senior Policy Counsel …

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I hope all of our Bay Area Legal Aid followers, supporters, and allies will join me and the BayLegal staff in saying an enthusiastic “thank you” to the 40 volunteers and interns who joined us this summer. This diverse, talented, committed group includes 28 law students, 10 undergraduates and 2 rising high school students (thanks …

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July marked the launch of the City of San Francisco’s Tenant Right to Counsel program, fulfilling the mandate of the voter-approved Proposition F (the No Eviction Without Representation Act) on the November 2018 ballot. The program guarantees a free attorney to all San Francisco tenants who have received an eviction notice or who have been …

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