Impact Reports

The Legal Aid Annual Report is a snapshot of our organization's yearly activities. We are proud to highlight our supporters and our volunteers and provide a look at the clients we help on a daily basis.

Operations & Financials

About Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County

We believe our entire community is stronger when everyone has a home, economic security, and essential public services. We use the law to make the social safety net work for everyone. Our work makes San Mateo County a more just and equitable place to live.

• We represent clients as they navigate complex legal systems.

• We empower people to advocate for themselves.

• We fix broken systems through policy change.

We envision a San Mateo County with equitable access to resources for all; strong legal representation that helps people obtain stable housing, health care, education, economic security, immigration status, protection from abuse, and family stability; and laws, policies, and practices that ensure lasting social justice.

Policy Advocacy

From tenant protections for mobile home park residents to medically necessary services for children with autism spectrum disorder, Legal Aid attorneys advocate for meaningful policy changes that impact the lives of our clients. We use our own data to look for trends and emerging legal issues facing our clients; learning from policies that work, and identifying systems that can be improved. We share this information with local and state level decision makers, and advocate for changes that close gaps, improve efficiency, and provide essential services to our clients.  

Pro Bono

Legal Aid works in partnership with over 30 lawfirms and corporate counsel in Silicon Valley with 400 volunteers providing thousands of pro bono hours annually, representing clients who would otherwise be without legal representation. Legal Aid provides malpractice insurance, training materials and on-going support for all pro bono volunteers. Legal Aid welcomes attorneys, paralegals, law students and emeritus attorneys who want to make a direct impact on the lives of low income residents of the San Mateo community by providing meaningful access to justice. Legal Aid's Pro Bono Program is managed by Stephanie Bilinski, Director of Pro Bono, sbilinski@legalaidsmc.org or (650) 517-8912. 

What services does Legal Aid provide?

Our core services include:

• Help for Survivors of Domestic Violence

• Help with Accessing Health Care

• Help for Tenants

• Help with Public Benefits

• Help with Accessing Special Education Services

Our History

In 1959, a group of lawyers and community leaders recognized an unmet need to help the less fortunate in San Mateo County meet the legal needs so they could access life's basics. Thanks to these visionaries the Legal Aid Society was born. One of the first cases involved a Spanish-speaking maid was not allowed to retrieve her belongings when she resigned. The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County successfully defended her and the client was able to recover her possessions.

Since then, the Legal Aid Society has grown to become one of the most respected public interest law firms in California. A vital voice to marginalized populations of San Mateo County, the organization and individual staff attorneys have received numerous awards for excellence in providing legal services.

Today our work covers five main areas of urgent client need: accessing income support programs, bridging the education gap, fighting for freedom from domestic violence, obtaining health care and preventing homelessness.