Whether we live in San Francisco, Alameda, or Contra Costa, we should all feel safe to walk down the street, buy groceries for our families, go to work, and relax with our loved ones. To create safer communities, the Asian Law Caucus provides free legal services, educates community members on their rights, and advocates for policies that prevent violence and provide restorative and community-based alternatives to police, prisons, ICE detention, and surveillance.
Please call (415) 896-1701 to schedule an appointment or use our contact form.
Community Safety Resources
ALC's Free Legal Clinic for Victims and Survivors
What services does your legal clinic for victims and survivors of violence provide?
We provide free legal help to victims and survivors of hate-motivated violence or cross-community violence in San Francisco and Alameda Counties. We help community members navigate the legal system and provide support in our clients’ preferred language to recover from harm and feel safer. This includes but is not limited to:
- Understanding the decisions made by the District Attorney’s office and getting clear information about the status of your case
- Evaluating your options to meet specific needs, such as how to afford your expenses or how to prevent the person who harmed you from contacting you
- Learning what the criminal legal system can and cannot do to help you after a violent incident, and what other services you can use to reach your goals
- Ensuring you are heard by government officials who have a responsibility in your case, including acknowledging when hate or bias played a role in what happened
Am I eligible to request a legal consultation with this clinic focused on healing and accountability?
We provide consultations for victims, survivors, and their family members who:
- Have experienced hate-motivated or cross-community violence and
- Either reside in or have suffered harm in San Francisco or Alameda Counties
What should I expect during my first legal consultation for this community safety clinic?
ALC holds its free legal clinic for victims and survivors of violence the second Wednesday of every month. Consultations for our clinic are scheduled by our team in advance and are currently taking place over Zoom. If you prefer another arrangement, let us know. For example, we may be able to schedule an in-person consultation at our offices or another private location.
During the consultation, an attorney will listen to your account of the harm you or your loved one experienced. You will then have the opportunity to discuss what goals you have regarding healing, safety, and accountability.
At the end of the consultation, the lawyer will discuss concrete next steps. These steps may include connecting you with resources from trusted partner organizations or proposing the possibility of limited legal services, at which point ALC will perform follow-up tasks that we agree on together. For some clients, this has meant following up with the police or the District Attorney’s office on delays or unclear aspects of their case. Other forms of support may include helping you apply for financial resources or connecting you with counseling in your language. Our priority is to center the needs and well-being of our clients so that they can recover from harm and feel safer.
What if I need language interpretation/translation during this clinic?
ALC commits to providing legal help in our clients’ preferred languages. For languages and dialects not spoken by our staff, we work with professional interpreters and translators to cover over 200 languages and dialects free of charge. We will identify any interpretation needs before the clinic consultation. The languages most commonly requested by our clients are Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
What services are not available through the clinic for victims and survivors?
Our clinic for survivors and victims does not handle time-sensitive emergencies. We can often provide referrals to other organizations that are able to provide representation for different types of cases, but this takes time.
We generally do not take on clients for full-scope representation. But, if we determine it is appropriate to do so, we may enter into a limited-scope representation, such as providing a limited set of services related to the case.
We do not negotiate divorces or child custody arrangements.
More Local Services
What other resources and services are available to Bay Area residents?
Community Youth Center (CYC) conducts community outreach and provides victim wrap-around services to individuals and families in San Francisco to support them in their recovery.
The Asian Health Services (AHS) Community Healing Unit also provides culturally-sensitive counseling and healthcare services to individuals and families impacted by hate, crime, and community violence in Alameda County.