About Us

How We Work

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Direct Services

Public Counsel provides free direct legal services and support or matches clients with pro bono advocates, ensuring they have a partner standing with them, their families, and our communities as they pursue justice.

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Policy Advocacy

Public Counsel addresses the root causes of inequities in our society by advocating for inclusive policy solutions in collaboration with grassroots coalitions and the communities most impacted by systemic oppression.

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Impact Litigation

Public Counsel files strategic impact litigation so entire communities get the justice they deserve. By setting legal precedents and challenging unjust laws, our cases spark large-scale change in our society.

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Pro Bono Partnerships

Since its inception, Public Counsel has relied on pro bono attorneys, law students, paralegals, and other legal professionals to partner with us in supporting clients, taking on high-impact cases, and strengthening our advocacy efforts.

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Social Work Integration

Public Counsel values an interdisciplinary approach to law and social work that strengthens trauma-informed legal advocacy and advances effective outcomes across its work. 

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Community Education

Public Counsel promotes healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, providing trainings, legal resources, and practical guidance that help people understand their rights, navigate complex systems, and take informed action.

Learn More

Resource Library

Popular Resources

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Guide

10/19/26

Trauma-Informed Deposition Preparation Guide

The Trauma-Informed Deposition Guide integrates social work values into legal practices in an attempt to reduce negative impacts on youth clients during deposition. The intention of this guide is to...

Learn More

Guide

08/18/26

Navigating COVID-19 EIDL Loan Repayment

This FAQ is designed for small business owners and nonprofit organizations nationwide that received an SBA COVID-19 EIDL and are now navigating repayment, delinquency, or default. It covers program basics,...

Learn More

Guide

08/10/26

California Nonjudicial Foreclosure Process – Primary Mortgage

This guide provides an overview of the California judicial foreclosure process for primary (first lien) mortgages, covering the full timeline from pre-foreclosure through the foreclosure sale — a minimum of approximately...

Learn More

How We Work

See All

Direct Services

Public Counsel provides free direct legal services and support or matches clients with pro bono advocates, ensuring they have a partner standing with them, their families, and our communities as they pursue justice.

Learn More

Policy Advocacy

Public Counsel addresses the root causes of inequities in our society by advocating for inclusive policy solutions in collaboration with grassroots coalitions and the communities most impacted by systemic oppression.

Learn More

Impact Litigation

Public Counsel files strategic impact litigation so entire communities get the justice they deserve. By setting legal precedents and challenging unjust laws, our cases spark large-scale change in our society.

Learn More

Pro Bono Partnerships

Since its inception, Public Counsel has relied on pro bono attorneys, law students, paralegals, and other legal professionals to partner with us in supporting clients, taking on high-impact cases, and strengthening our advocacy efforts.

Learn More

Social Work Integration

Public Counsel values an interdisciplinary approach to law and social work that strengthens trauma-informed legal advocacy and advances effective outcomes across its work. 

Learn More

Community Education

Public Counsel promotes healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, providing trainings, legal resources, and practical guidance that help people understand their rights, navigate complex systems, and take informed action.

Learn More

Popular Resources

See All

Guide

10/19/26

Trauma-Informed Deposition Preparation Guide

The Trauma-Informed Deposition Guide integrates social work values into legal practices in an attempt to reduce negative impacts on youth clients during deposition. The intention of this guide is to...

Learn More

Guide

08/18/26

Navigating COVID-19 EIDL Loan Repayment

This FAQ is designed for small business owners and nonprofit organizations nationwide that received an SBA COVID-19 EIDL and are now navigating repayment, delinquency, or default. It covers program basics,...

Learn More

Guide

08/10/26

California Nonjudicial Foreclosure Process – Primary Mortgage

This guide provides an overview of the California judicial foreclosure process for primary (first lien) mortgages, covering the full timeline from pre-foreclosure through the foreclosure sale — a minimum of approximately...

Learn More

Resources

All Resources

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Consumer RightsDebt

Guide

05/12/26

Do I Need to File a Response to a Complaint?

 I’ve received notice of a lawsuit against me, now what?

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Immigrants’ Rights

Guide

04/27/26

Know Your Rights: Immigration Enforcement in Public Spaces

We all have constitutional rights and state law protections in California, regardless of immigration status. This guide outlines those rights and protections and steps you can take to prepare in…

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EducationImmigrants’ Rights

Toolkit

04/03/26

Newcomer Student Education Rights

This toolkit is designed to inform advocates (attorneys and non-attorneys) about the education-related rights of newcomer and undocumented immigrant children, how to assert those rights, and what to do if…

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Bankruptcy

Guide

02/17/26

What is the Meeting of Creditors?

Once you file your bankruptcy, a Bankruptcy Trustee will be assigned to your case and a Meeting of Creditors will be scheduled. This guide will provide general information to help…

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Child WelfareEarly Care & EducationEducationSmall Businesses

FAQsGuide

02/10/26

Know Your Rights as a Child Care Business

This Know Your Rights guide explains California child care providers’ legal authority to control access to their facilities, including who may enter, when recording is prohibited, and how to respond…

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Child WelfareEarly Care & EducationEducation

Report

01/28/26

Who Has The Power: Chronicling Los Angeles County’s Systemic Failures to Educate Incarcerated Youth

Los Angeles County officials often dismiss concerns raised by and on behalf of young people, claiming that the education-related issues for detained youth are not systemic. This report seeks to…

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Guardianship

GuideToolkit

01/24/26

Ensuring Family Connection: A Guide to Representing Parents in Probate Guardianships

Probate guardianships are often treated as private custody disputes, yet in practice they can resemble quasi-dependency cases—with serious and lasting consequences for parents, including suspension of parental rights and loss…

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Consumer RightsDebt

FAQsGuide

01/13/26

Medical and Dental Credit Cards—WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Do you need medical or dental care but can’t afford it? Are you thinking about making payments or signing up for credit? Be careful! Medical or dental credit cards can…

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Bankruptcy

Guide

01/08/26

What courses must I take to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?

All individuals who file a chapter 7 bankruptcy must take two courses to receive a discharge of their debts: Credit Counseling and Personal Financial Management. This guide will help you…

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BankruptcyDebt

Template

01/08/26

Pleading Paper Caption Page

If there isn’t a court form for what you need to file in your bankruptcy case, you will need to write your own court papers on pleading paper. The first…

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