Community Legal Aid SoCal

A big thank you to the Samueli Foundation for this morning’s Community Funds Celebration at The Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens. The Samueli Foundation recently awarded Community Legal Aid SoCal funding through its OC+ Fund and Build OC Fund. -OC+ supports collaborative efforts that bring organizations together to address shared challenges and strengthen how services are coordinated across Orange County. These awards will support two important collaborative efforts CLA SoCal is engaged in: JustOC collaborative, a coordinated entry system for legal services in Orange County and Keep OC Housed collaborative project, which makes referrals between legal services and homeless services providers more seamless and effective. -The Build OC grant award will fund safety and security upgrades to our Santa Ana office. In photo L to R: Monica E. Glicken, CEO/Executive Director, Public Law Center; Brooke Weitzman, Executive Director, Community Counsel; Henry Samueli, Samueli Foundation; Kate Marr, Executive Director, CLA SoCal; Ash Alvandi, Vice President, Orange County, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California; Robin Taylor, Executive Director, Veterans Legal Institute.

We 💙 what pro bono attorney Robert E. Siemer had to say about his experience volunteering with our Health Unit. Thank you to Orange County Bar Association - CA OC Lawyer magazine for featuring CLA SoCal in a Peek at Pro Bono. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ecHA_3-b

A peek at a legal aid attorney's schedule. 👀 Busy serving justice Monday-Friday at the Orange County and Los Angeles County Superior Courts on behalf of our clients. 💜

CLA SoCal executive director Kate Marr was alongside fellow attorneys, friends, supporters, and partners at the Orange County Women Lawyers Association's fabulous Golden Legacy Gala last night. The 1920's jazz-age themed event was held to celebrate and promote the advancement of women in the legal profession and honor the 2026 awardees of the Judge of the Year (Judge Adrianne Marshack), Attorney of the Year (Kelly Galligan, Rutan & Tucker, LLP), and Advancement of Women Award (Crowell & Moring LLP, Orange County). Big thank you to Heidi Plummer for a seat at her table!

It’s Purple Thursday! 💜 Today, we wear purple to stand with survivors of domestic violence. For many survivors, the hardest step is walking through the door. Once they do, we’re here to help with the legal issues that stand between them and safety. Wearing purple is one way to say you’re not alone. Year-round, we show up for survivors in person, and walk-ins are welcome: Compton Courthouse DV Clinic: Monday - Friday, 9AM - 12PM Whittier Courthouse DV Clinic: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 9AM - 12PM #PurpleThursday #DVAM

“I know what it means to need someone in your corner.” For family law attorney Nikki Brown, this work is personal. As a survivor of domestic violence herself, Nikki understands the challenges of rebuilding a life after abuse. Today, she stands beside survivors as they seek protection, safety, and a future beyond violence. This October, your support helps ensure survivors have someone in their corner when they need it most. 💜 Stand with survivors: https://lnkd.in/geDd4jVR

Our Expungement Team joined Jones Day's Start Anew Clinic in Los Angeles, an outreach event for survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. We provided information on criminal record clearance, one of the ways our legal services can help people overcome barriers to employment and other opportunities. Thank you to Jones Day for inviting us to be part of this event and connect survivors with resources to start anew. 💜

𝗕𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀. Join the Southern California Disaster Legal Aid Collaborative (DLAC) for a one-hour Disaster 101 webinar covering key legal issues that arise after a disaster. Legal aid organizations from across Southern California will share practical information to strengthen disaster preparedness and equip attendees to provide effective legal support when communities need it most. 📚 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝟏.𝟎 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐂𝐋𝐄 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 👥 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨: Attorneys, paralegals, and law students 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/eB3fRYYV Bet Tzedek Legal Services Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County Public Counsel LA Law Library

We want a seat at this table! Our NextGen Council for Justice came together last week to brainstorm ideas, get to know each other, and talk about how we can make the most of this new community of young professionals. There are lots of great things ahead, with opportunities to volunteer, build connections, develop leadership skills, and get more involved with CLA SoCal. 𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠@𝐜𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥.𝐨𝐫𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝. NextGen Members: Briana Peters Nasser Khateeb Robyn Lin Edward Nester Kathryn Robinson

We all have a role to play in creating healthier communities. Yesterday, we attended Advance OC's Future of Healthcare Conference, which brought together leaders from healthcare, technology, public health, and the community to explore the future of care and health equity. Legal services are part of that conversation, too. At Community Legal Aid SoCal, our dedicated Health Unit helps people access the health care services they need, while our other legal units address many of the issues that shape health and wellbeing—including housing, public benefits, family safety, and economic stability. Pictured: Katie Nguyen Kalvoda, Founder of Advance OC; Akiko Nishino, Director of Legal Services; Brooke Weitzman, Executive Director at Community Counsel; and Emily Wing, Director of Fund Development