Services offered by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County
About Legal Aid Society of Orange County
Founded in 1958 by a group of local attorneys, Legal Aid Society of Orange Count (LASOC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality civil legal and tax-related services to Orange County's low-income individuals and seniors. In 1984, LASOC expanded its service area to include southeast Los Angeles County, where it is known as Community Legal Services.
LASOC's practice areas and special programs in its Santa Ana, Anaheim, Compton and Norwalk offices include: Senior Citizens Legal Advocacy, Family Law, Housing and Landlord/Tenant Issues, Health Care Issues, IRS Tax Controversies and Tax Assistance, Homeless Assistance, Asian-American Services, Government Benefits, Educational Issues, Consumer Problems, and Bankruptcy. LASOC delivers its legal services in three ways: 1) through a Toll-Free Telephone Hotline which provides eligibility screening, advice, counseling and referrals; 2) through various attorney-operated self-help clinics and through the Interactive Community Assistance Network (I-CAN!™), LASOC's interactive software program which prepares properly formatted pleadings and educates users; and 3) through LASOC staff attorneys who provide direct legal representation to clients.
In 2006, LASOC provided legal services to more than 13,500 eligible low-income individuals and seniors in Orange and southeast Los Angeles Counties. In addition, in 2006, LASOC provided legal information to more than 6,800 self-represented litigants through its Legal Resolutions Center in Santa Ana and Self-Help Center in the Compton Courthouse.