General Legal Aid
Below you will find resources related to legal aid and advocacy.  Many of the legal aid agencies listed provide free or sliding scale fees for their services. 

Asian Law Caucus:
415-896-1701
www.asianlawcaucus.org

The program provides legal representation in the following areas: housing discrimination and landlord/tenant issues; employment rights; immigration, hate crimes, senior rights, police misconduct, voting rights, and government benefits.  To be eligible for services, you must meet income requirements.

Asian-Pacific Islander Legal Outreach:
415-567-6255
www.apilegaloutreach.org

Provides legal services to the Bay Area Asian-American community.  Topics covered by their services:  family law, immigration, public benefits, sexual harassment, consumer problems, and domestic violence.

BASF- Homeless Advocacy Project:
Phone:  415-575-3130; 1-800-405-4HAP
www.sfbar.org

Provides free legal help to people on the street, in shelters, in residential hotels who do not have telephones in their rooms, or in transitional housing programs without supportive social services.

BASF- Lawyer Referral and Information Service:
415-989-1616
www.sfbar.org

Provides referrals to attorneys for all types of legal problems. Staff will schedule an office appointment (consultation) with an appropriate attorney.  Must meet income requirements for free or reduced services.

Bay Area Legal Aid:
415-982-1300; 800-551-5554
www.baylegal.org

Provides legal assistance to low-income San Francisco residents. Assists with public benefits including CalWorks, SSI, County Adult Assistance Programs, food stamps, and with family law and domestic violence issues.  Assists with eviction defense and landlord and tenant relations.

The California Center for Law and the Deaf:
510-483-0922
http://www.deaflaw.org/

The Center is a community-based, non-profit multi-service agency which assists deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the ten-county San Francisco Bay Area to live more independently and productively. Its primary goal is to serve the deaf population — directly, through client services, and indirectly, through community education and advocacy.

Centro Legal de la Raza:
510-437-1554
http://www.centrolegal.org/en/services/legal_services.html

La Raza provides one-on-one legal counseling and representation. Services focus on issues of: housing, employment, student rights, immigration, family law, and consumer protection.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service:
415-788-0288; 1-800-777-PLAN
www.800777plan.com

The service provides free and confidential debt resolution counseling.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
415-356-5100
www.eeoc.gov

This federal agency handles employment discrimination cases based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, and physical or mental disability.

General Assistance Advocacy Project:
415-928-8191
www.gaap.org

Provides assistance completing legal forms for low-income tenants faced with eviction, including pro per (do it yourself) answers, motions and stay-of-eviction requests.  They have a sliding scale fee, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

LawHelpCalifornia.org:
www.lawhelpcalifornia.org

A website with referrals to free legal aid and court services, as well as sliding scale legal programs and lawyer referral services. The site also hosts links to self-help legal information.

Legal Aid Society of San Francisco- Employment Law Center:
415-864-8848 (office); 415-864-8208 (Workers' Rights Clinic); 800-864-1664 (Language Rights Project); 415-864-8070 (Unemployment and Wage Claims Project); 415-864-4422 (Domestic Violence and Employment Project); 800-880-8047 (Work and Family)
www.las-elc.org

Offers a variety of free direct services to help low-income individuals with employment-related legal problems.  Services available for individual unemployed or facing immediate unemployment. Individuals who are currently employed must meet income guidelines.

Positive Resource Center :
415-777-0333
www.positiveresource.org/

Positive Resource Center has been providing benefits advocacy for San Francisco residents living with HIV/AIDS since 1987. From the beginning, we have dedicated ourselves to providing comprehensive, one-on-one benefits counseling and advocacy. In 2003, we expanded our mission to include representing people living with mental health issues who are referred by targeted Department of Public Health sites.

Swords to Plowshares:
415-252-4788
www.swords-to-plowshares.org

Swords to Plowshares offers comprehensive, veteran-specific services, including mental health counseling, transitional housing, legal assistance, and job training and placement.