Our Mission
Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy.
Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
Our Vision
Public Counsel envisions an equitable society where all people thrive, with systems and laws delivering the promise of justice to all.
Our Values
Coordinated Advocacy
Our direct legal work informs, complements, and is amplified by our impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education and outreach efforts.
Mobilization
We proactively recruit and mobilize volunteers from a wide array of professions, organizations, sectors, and communities to join in the fight for equal justice.
Accountability
We are accountable to our clients, centering on their needs, goals, and personal expertise in providing our legal representation and services.
Power Building
We aim to align our legal advocacy with durable grassroots movements to build power, change unjust laws, and achieve lasting results.
Results
We get results through relentless, bold, and creative advocacy and leadership that place our legal services within a broader set of strategies and tactics.
Equity
We advance racial and economic justice by advocating for legal and policy reforms and by providing clients with lower-incomes and in communities of color with access to quality legal representation.
Our History
In 1968, Fred Nicholas was president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and Chairman of a Committee on the Future of the Bar. That year, he attended a speech by a young lawyer and activist named Ralph Nader, who spoke about the responsibilities of lawyers to the community. He criticized the legal profession for “not giving back.”
This message hit a nerve with Nicholas. He suggested to members of his Committee that the Beverly Hills Bar Association sponsor a pro bono law firm to provide free legal services to people experiencing poverty and households with lower incomes. After two years of debate, the Beverly Hills Bar Association authorized the formation of a pro bono law firm under the name of Beverly Hills Bar Association Law Foundation and donated $5000 to its formation.
In 1970, in a tiny one-room office on Beverly Drive, the organization opened with Fred Nicholas as the first president, Stanley Levy as its director, and Ann Dominique Snyder as an assistant. The fledgling organization survived on a donation of $20,000 from Nicholas and small gifts from the large Beverly Hills law firms. In 1975, the L.A. County Bar Association joined the Beverly Hills Bar Association to co-sponsor the organization, and it changed its name to Public Counsel.
Today, Public Counsel is one of the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the nation, with over 160 staff working with thousands of volunteers to provide free legal services to over ten thousand people, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations annually.
How We Work
Direct Services
We provide free legal services enhanced by integrated social work support and connections to essential resources. By offering a variety of support—including legal representation, advice, and clinics—we meet clients where they are and strive to provide holistic assistance.
Policy Advocacy
We collaborate with grassroots partners and community members to advocate for fair, effective, and community-informed policies in California and across the nation. Together, we transform unjust laws and systems that deny people their rights.
Impact Litigation
We take on high-impact lawsuits alongside our clients, with the needs and experiences of the communities we serve directly informing the way we push for change. By setting legal precedents and challenging unjust laws, our impact litigation cases spark large-scale change in our society.
Pro Bono Partnerships
Pro bono is central to Public Counsel’s history and identity. Volunteer attorneys provide essential expertise and resources, driving our most impactful victories and individual successes that change lives. As one of the nation’s largest providers of pro bono legal services, this collaborative approach deepens and amplifies our impact.
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