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You are here: Free & Low-Cost Legal Help > Lawyers, Government Agencies, Nonprofit Groups > Help With Particular Kinds of Problems
Click on a topic below to find legal help with your case:
Criminal Law (includes Victim Witness Assistance Programs)
Disabilities
Domestic Violence
Employment Discrimination
Families & Children (includes Divorce, Child Support, Custody, Special Education, and Emancipation)
Landlord/Tenant (Rental Housing)
Seniors (includes Elder Law and Conservatorships)
Small Claims & Consumer Law
Criminal Law (includes Victim Witness Assistance Programs)
Please click here  to find your local Victim/Witness Assistance Center.
These centers can help crime victims apply for compensation for losses including medical, funeral, and burial expenses; loss of income or support; and job retraining.
If you can't find a center in your county, check the white pages of your telephone book under "County Government" and look for "Victim Services" and "Victim Witness Assistance," or call toll free: 1-800-842-8467.
Public Defender's Office . If you're accused of a crime but can't afford a lawyer, the court can appoint a public defender to represent you in court. This Web page lists links to Web sites for the Public Defender's Office throughout the state. Posted by the Orange County Public Defender.
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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Disabilities
Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) . PAI helps people with physical, developmental, or psychiatric disabilities. PAI offers referrals to other resources, advocacy training, representation in administrative and judicial proceedings, investigation of abuse and neglect, and legislative advocacy.
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline . Call 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 for TDD. This hotline helps people all over the U.S. find information about shelters, legal advocacy and assistance programs, and social services programs in their area. It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get help in over 100 languages.
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) . The CDPH's Violence Prevention Resource Directory lists resources by county, including Domestic Violence Victim/Prevention Services, Domestic Violence Shelter Services, Sexual Violence (Rape) Victim/Prevention Services, Victim/Witness Services, Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, and Batterers Intervention Programs (Approved).
Superior Courts. Many large courts have on-site domestic violence programs that can help you ask for a restraining order. Ask the court clerk if there's a program in your county.
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Employment Discrimination
California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) . DFEH investigates complaints of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, as well as hate violence complaints. The Web site has information on California's fair employment laws, frequently asked questions, brochures, and forms.
Or call DFEH:
1-800-884-1684
TTY: 1-800-700-2320 (from California)
TTY: 1-916-227-0551 (outside California)
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . This Web site has information about employment discrimination.
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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Families & Children (includes Divorce, Child Support, Custody, Special Education, and Emancipation)
District Attorney/Child Abduction Unit . Your local district attorney can help when a person takes or keeps a child from his or her lawful custodian, when a parent with a right to visitation keeps the other parent from visitation as decided by the court order, or when a person who has custody takes away the noncustodial parent's visitation rights. This statewide roster of district attorneys is posted by the California District Attorneys Association.
Family Law Facilitators. Every court in California has a lawyer who will help you with family law problems for free. These lawyers are called "family law facilitators." The facilitators can't be your lawyer, but they can help in other ways. In some counties, they show people how to fill out court forms. They can give you brochures about family law and tell you about other places to get help, like lawyer referral services, legal aid clinics, and self-help law centers.
Learn more about family law facilitators.
Find the Family Law Facilitator in Your County.
Click here for "A Quick Reference Guide to the California Offices of the Family Law Facilitator" (in PDF format).
Legal Services for Children . This organization takes calls from children and people calling on behalf of children. The person who answers the call cannot represent a child, but they can give the caller advice and referrals.
Legal Services for Prisoners With Children . This organization provides general advice and referrals to prisoners with family law problems.
Local Child Support Agency (LCSA) . The LCSA in your county can help you get child support even if you don't get public assistance. It can help you raise or lower child support, and enforce a child support order. The LCSA can't help with child custody, visitation, or a divorce.
Click below to:
Find your county's LCSA .
Learn about child support in California (PDF) and the services at your LCSA.
Complaint Resolution and State Hearing Program: http://www.childsup.cahwnet.gov/complaints.asp .
Learn about the state Department of Child Support Services' Paternity Opportunity Program (POP)
If you have a problem in your child support case, the Ombudsperson and Complaint Resolution programs may be helpful to you.
Learn about:
Ombudsperson Program: http://www.childsup.cahwnet.gov/Resources/Services/OmbudspersonProgram/tabid/89/Default.aspx
Complaint Resolution and State Hearing Program: http://www.childsup.cahwnet.gov/complaints.asp
ALERT! The local child support agency (LCSA) doesn't represent the parents or the children. The LCSA lawyers aren't your lawyers. You aren't a legal client, and the information you give the LCSA isn't confidential.
LCSA lawyers can give certain information about your case to other agencies, the other parent, or the other parent's employer or lawyer.
The law says the LCSA will make the final decision on child support enforcement, even if the custodial parent disagrees.
Parents have the right to get advice from a private lawyer or legal aid group at any time.
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Police. If you have a child custody order, your local police may be able to help you enforce it. (You need to have a copy of your court order to show to the police.)
Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) . PAI helps people with physical, developmental, or psychiatric disabilities. PAI employees work with students with disabilities and their families to enforce students' rights to be educated in integrated settings. Other services include referral to other resources, advocacy training, representation in administrative and judicial proceedings, investigation of abuse and neglect, and legislative advocacy.
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Delinquency and Dependency and Your Right to a Lawyer
Juvenile Dependency. If your child is taken out of your home because of abuse or neglect, you have the right to have a lawyer represent you in court. If you need time to hire one, you can postpone the first court hearing for one day so you can get a lawyer. If you don't have enough money to hire a lawyer, you can ask the court to assign a lawyer to your case. (You may have to pay part or all of the costs for your lawyer if you earn enough money.)
A child in a juvenile dependency case is given a lawyer unless the court says it wouldn't be beneficial. The court can also appoint a Court Appointed Special Advocate, called "CASA ," to help the child.
Juvenile Delinquency. In a juvenile delinquency case, the child has a right to a lawyer. If the child's parents can't afford a lawyer, the court must assign a lawyer to represent the child unless the child doesn't want one. Depending on their income, the parents may have to repay the county for the lawyer's services.
If a parent in a juvenile delinquency case does not agree with the child's attorney about the case, the parent has the right to his or her own attorney. The parent's attorney can talk to the judge about what the parent wants.
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Landlord/Tenant (Rental Housing)
California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) . The DCA has posted a list of groups that help renters.
California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) . DFEH investigates complaints of discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations, as well as hate violence complaints. The Web site has information on California's fair housing laws, frequently asked questions, brochures, and forms.
Or call DFEH:
1-800-233-3212
TTY: 1-800-700-2320 (from California)
TTY: 1-916-227-0551 (outside California)
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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Seniors (includes Elder Law and Conservatorships)
Benefits CheckUp . This site helps seniors find government benefits programs and services.
County Adult Protective Services (APS) . County Adult Protective Services (APS) helps adults who cannot care for themselves, or who may have been abused or neglected. They handle reports of abuse in private homes, hotels, hospitals, health clinics, and daycare centers. This Web Site can help you find your county's APS department . (List posted in PDF format.)
Federal Administration on Aging . This agency provides hotlines for seniors. If you're over 60, or are calling for someone over 60, these hotlines let you talk to a lawyer about your legal questions and problems. The lawyers can't represent you, but they can usually refer you to someone who can help you.
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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Small Claims
California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) . The DCA Web site lists people and organizations that may be able to help you.
Contractors State License Board (CSLB) . The CSLB may be able to help you if you have a complaint against a licensed contractor.
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) . The DMV can help you file a complaint against a car dealer.
District Attorney . The district attorney's office in your county may be able to help you with consumer problems. This statewide roster of district attorneys is posted by the California District Attorneys Association.
Small Claims Legal Advisors. Advisors can help you to understand California's small claims court system. The services offered by small claims advisors are different in each county. List of advisors posted by the Judicial Council of California.
Click here if you did not find what you need.
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See also on this site:
Landlord/tenant information. Check this section of the Self-Help Center for help with an eviction, rental deposit problems, and housing discrimination matters.
You Don't Have to Sue. Check this section of the Self-Help Center to solve your small claims or consumer problem without going to court.
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Last modified: 02/06/2009
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