For 85 years, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) has been a vital resource for low-income individuals in the Los Angeles area. LAFLA is dedicated to promoting access to justice, strengthening communities, fighting poverty, and effecting systemic change through representation, advocacy, and community education.
LAFLA's team of over 120 staff members provides a wide range of free legal services. These services include:
- Defending against unjust evictions
- Obtaining orders of protection
- Assistance with custody of children and key immigration relief to stabilize vulnerable families
- Obtaining critical government benefits and medical care
- Fighting wrongful terminations and wage theft
- Protecting Veterans and their families
- Helping to access and maintain affordable housing
Self-Help Legal Access Centers
Our four Self-Help Legal Access Centers have how-to guides that show you how to fill out many of the civil court forms for Los Angeles Superior Court. These centers are open to walk-ins for limited services. The Center’s mission is to provide you with the resources you need to help yourself. We are here to help you help yourself. We are not your attorney. The Center will not tell you what you should do, but instead will provide you with information and options so that you can make an informed decision.
To help as many people as possible, volunteers are available to answer your questions and provide information. You should complete all questionnaires and forms to the best of your ability before you attend a workshop or meet with a Center volunteer. This is a self-help center.
If you want an attorney to recommend the best solution for your particular case, you must ask an attorney for legal advice who does not work at the Center. We have referral flyers for the Long Beach Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, and nonprofit legal organizations that may be able to provide you with legal advice. Some cases need legal advice and are not appropriate for a self-help center.
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The Center offers educational workshops, self-help how-to guides and court forms. Volunteers are available to answer your questions and provide information. Please fill out an evaluation form. We want to hear both positive and negative comments.
Persons with young children may use the court’s free child care service (Long Beach and Santa Monica only). A voucher for these services may be obtained when you check in at the front desk. We have several volunteers who initially came to the Center for assistance. Volunteers do not have to be lawyers or know the law. Volunteer applicants will need to fill out an application form, available here and attend a short interview. If accepted as a volunteer, we will notify you.
IMPORTANT: Some Self-Help centers may not be able to assist with unlawful detainers or family law matters. For more information on each center, contact us at (213) 235-0060. However, litigants may contact us through the LAFLA self-help hotline at 213-235-0060 for remote assistance.
Wait times vary depending on the number of people seeking assistance, the types of cases they have and the number of volunteers working that day. We attempt to assist everyone as quickly as possible, but you should be prepared to be at the Center for several hours. The Center has a very small staff. We depend on volunteers to help us assist the 100-plus people who visit the Center every day.
Normally, we attempt to see individuals in the order they arrive. However, we may have to take people out of order if:
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- The person requires a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- The person is here to attend a class or workshop.
- The person’s case is urgent, and he or she must file a document that day.
Self-Help Center Locations and Hours
Here are the locations and hours of operation for the Self-Help Centers:
Inglewood Courthouse
1 E Regent St., Room 107
Inglewood, CA 90301
Hours: The Inglewood Courthouse Self-Help Center is open Mondays - Fridays from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays - Thursdays. Note that no new litigant intakes will be accepted at the Center after 12:00 pm for the morning hours and 4:00 pm for the afternoon hours.
Long Beach Courthouse
275 Magnolia Ave., Room 3101
Long Beach, CA 90802
Hours: The Long Beach Courthouse Self-Help Center is open Monday - Fridays from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Mondays - Thursdays.
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Santa Monica Courthouse
1725 Main St., Room 210
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Hours: The Santa Monica Courthouse Self-Help Center is open Monday - Fridays from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays - Thursdays. Note that no new litigant intakes will be accepted at the Center after 12:00 pm for the morning hours and 4:00 pm for the afternoon hours.
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Workshops
We provide workshops for eviction (unlawful detainer) answers, eviction (unlawful detainer) trial prep, family law (divorce and paternity) and record expungement. Click here to see our schedule of informational workshops.
Domestic violence restraining order clinics remain open during LAFLA’s holiday closure. Legal information and assistance with pleadings are provided through workshops, individual assistance and user-friendly computer programs. Self-represented litigants who attend workshops or seek individual assistance have their pleadings reviewed by an attorney.
Here is a table summarizing the key contact information for legal aid in Los Angeles:
| Service | Contact Information | Details |
|---|---|---|
| LAFLA Self-Help Hotline | 213-235-0060 | Remote assistance for litigants. |
| Inglewood Courthouse Self-Help Center | 1 E Regent St., Room 107 Inglewood, CA 90301 | Open Mondays - Fridays from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays - Thursdays. |
| Long Beach Courthouse Self-Help Center | 275 Magnolia Ave., Room 3101 Long Beach, CA 90802 | Open Monday - Fridays from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Mondays - Thursdays. |
| Santa Monica Courthouse Self-Help Center | 1725 Main St., Room 210 Santa Monica, CA 90401 | Open Monday - Fridays from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays - Thursdays. |