Attorneys and advocates may provide educational material, legal advice, and/or brief legal services in the following types of common issues:
- Defense from debt-collection activities, including lawsuits.
- Your rights and options for debt you cannot pay.
- Financial assessment to develop strategies for prioritizing and resolving debts.
- Wage garnishments, bank levies, and other creditor liens.
- Deceptive, unfair, illegal, and/or predatory consumer programs and practices.
- Student loans.
- Credit-reporting errors.
- Identity theft.
- Storage unit disputes.
- Tows and repossession.
How do I receive these services?
Call us at (510) 548-4040 ext. 206 or complete our online Consumer Justice Intake Form for information and appointment eligibility.
For additional resources on other consumer issues, please see the list of Legal Service Providers below.
- Service Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties
- Consumer issues: Debt collection lawsuits, scams, unfair credit reporting, student loans, bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, and innocent spouse tax relief
*Note: By appointment only, so please review their calendar for availability to make an appointment if you need assistance.
- Service Area: San Francisco
- Eligibility: Clients must be San Francisco residents, age 65 years old and over, or age 18 to 59 with a disability
- Consumer issues: Problems with creditors and problems obtaining or retaining public benefits
- LAE does NOT assist with bankruptcy, problems with state or federal taxes, or any problem involving criminal charges.
- Service Area: San Francisco
- Eligibility: Clients must be San Francisco residents, age 65 years old and over, or age 18 to 59 with a disability
- Consumer issues: Debt collection lawsuits, harassment by collections agencies, identity theft
- Service Area: San Francisco Districts 5, 10, and 11 / Zip codes: 94107, 94124, 94134, 94112, 94132, 94117, 94115, 94122, 94102
- Consumer issues: Personal injury, real property, predatory lending, contract fraud, identity theft, bankruptcy, debt collection, SSI / SSDI and other public benefits
- Service Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma counties
- Eligibility: Clients must be residents of one of the above counties and living with HIV/AIDS
- Consumer issues: Bankruptcy, credit, contracts, government benefits, medical malpractice, real estate, tax
*Note that their services are by appointment only, so please review their calendar for availability to make an appointment if you need assistance.
- Service Area: San Francisco
- Eligibility: Clients must be San Francisco residents, age 18 to 59 and living with a disability
- Consumer issues: Debt collection, medical debt, administrative hearings on public benefits (SSI, SSDI, CAPI)
*NOT a legal services provider*
- Service Area: San Francisco
- Consumer issues: Credit counseling, money management, drafting letters to creditors and student loan servicers, debt reduction plans, public benefits screening, opening a free bank account
*NOT a legal services provider*
- Service Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties
- Consumer issues: Credit counseling, money management, tax preparation, banking/financial products, public benefits screening and enrollment assistance, peer lending circle
- Service area: Alameda
Please note – The majority of our services are provided by law students and other advocates under the supervision of attorneys.
Please note – Our clinic, unfortunately, doesn’t have the capacity to support with any of the following issues: Foreclosures, probate/trust issues, tax issues, municipal fine and fees, municipal fees for juvenile, insurance support, employment, mortgage issues, housing issues not in litigation for back rent, discrimination, or police misconduct.
Llámenos al (510) 548-4040 ext. 206 o entregue la forma de evaluación web para información y elegibilidad para citas.
Para obtener recursos adicionales sobre otros problemas del consumidor, consulte la lista de proveedores de servicios legales en esta enlace de computadora aquí.
Por favor nota – La mayoría de nuestros servicios son proporcionados por estudiantes de derecho y otros ayudantes bajo la supervisión de abogados.
Por favor nota – Desafortunadamente, nuestra clínica no tiene la capacidad de brindar asistencia con ninguno de los siguientes problemas: ejecuciones hipotecarias, problemas de sucesiones/fideicomisos, problemas de impuestos, multas y tarifas municipales, tarifas municipales para menores, apoyo de seguros, empleo, problemas de hipotecas, problemas de vivienda que no están en litigio por alquileres atrasados, discriminación o mala conducta policial
Additional Information and Resources:
Free Credit Reports!
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are now offering free weekly online reports through April 2021 at: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
COVID-19 Guides:
The Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice has published a special series on common consumer issues and COVID-19:
Issue II: Student Loans & COVID-19
April 24, 2020
Issue III: Economic Impact Payments (“Stimulus Checks”) & COVID-19
April 28, 2020
Issue IV: Auto Insurance & COVID-19
May 1, 2020
Issue V: Scams and COVID-19
May 7, 2020
New Relief for Federal Student Loans:
- Loan payments are automatically suspended through September 30, 2020. The suspended payment months will still count towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
- Any wage garnishments, Social Security offsets, and tax refund seizures are suspended.
- All billing and automatic debits will be stopped on April 10, 2020.
For more information see:
For our Community Partners
Please feel free to share our flyers with your Alameda County Community.
You may find them here.
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