Community Legal Aid SoCal

Community Legal Aid SoCal, a free resource for Orange County residents aged 60-plus, has been helping seniors with a variety of legal challenges for more than 64 years. According to Seniors Unit Supervising Attorney Laura Luu, “Seniors often come to us when they’ve received documents that they don’t understand and ask us to review and explain the paperwork to them. We offer them counsel, advice and an unbiased opinion about what their options might be.”

Specifically, Community Legal Aid SoCal can help with civil legal issues involving consumer disputes, estate planning, conservatorships, housing issues and government benefits, among others.

Consumer Disputes

Community Legal Aid SoCal can intervene on behalf of seniors with consumer issues such as disputes with contractors, filing for bankruptcy, as well as consumer fraud and scams.

Estate Planning

Community Legal Aid SoCal provides estate planning services and can offer review and unbiased counsel about a senior’s particular financial situation before he or she hires an attorney to create a trust.

A trust is not always the best route to take and most seniors do not realize this, according to Luu. “We can present them with alternatives to a trust, if that would be appropriate for them.”

Conservatorships

Legal aid attorneys can also review documents and provide counsel and advice to guide seniors toward their best options.

Housing/Eviction

Legal aid attorneys can educate seniors who are having landlord disputes or facing eviction about their rights as tenants and offer guidance. Some seniors take boarders into their homes, renting out a room for added income. If there is an issue with the boarder, Community Legal Aid SoCal can help the senior legally address it. Access to Healthcare

Legal aid attorneys can help seniors get access to healthcare; address improper billing issues; and assist with issues related to Covered California, Cal Medi-Connect (One Care Connect), Medi-Cal (CalOptima), Medicare, Medical safety Net Program and private health insurance plans.

Government Benefits

Community Legal Aid So-Cal can also offer help in the important area of government benefits, including Social Security, food stamps, housing and employment. “We advise seniors about their benefits and also on how not to lose their benefits. If they receive a notice of action from the providing government agency, we can file appeals for them and also provide representation, if needed,” said Luu.

Community Legal Aid SoCal will represent clients in court when no other attorney is willing to take their case.

All these services are free to all Orange County seniors. There are no income restrictions, thanks to funding from the Orange County Office on Aging and the Legal Services Corporation. If legal aid attorneys have to file anything on a senior’s behalf, the cost of the court filing can be waived under certain circumstances.

“In general, we are here to look out for and protect the best interests of Orange County seniors,” Luu said.

Seniors who need legal help are encouraged to reach out to Community Legal Aid SoCal as soon as they have an issue and before hiring an attorney.

Legal aid will review the situation and advise the senior whether he or she will even need the services of a private attorney.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 800-834-5001.

Staff members are ready to help in the caller’s preferred language.

This project is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging, as allocated by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and administered by the Office on Aging.