Charleston Legal Access

Charleston Legal Access was created to fill a void in the legal community and offer services not provided by any other organization in the state. Our goal is simple: to provide low-cost legal representation and assistance to the working poor and others of modest means who do not qualify for free legal services but who cannot afford a private attorney. Specifically, we serve those between 125% (the cut-off for free legal services absent a waiver) and 400% of the federal poverty line. We also provide services to those below 125% of the federal poverty line if there is some reason that they cannot obtain free legal services elsewhere, can pay our minimum retainer (or consultation fee), and otherwise meet our case selection criteria rate determined by the individual's income and family size. (Cont. on Schedule O) This hybrid funding model where low-rate fees are supplemented by philanthropic support: allows donor dollars to go farther and enables our attorneys to access more clients and increase our impact in South Carolina; ensures that clients are invested and engaged in their cases, and that we are pursuing only claims that both we and our clients think are worth the resources; and gives clients a sense of agency in their cases that we encourage and support. They are paying for our services, have control over their case, and are entitled to high quality representation. CLA took its first client in February 2016 and since then, we have been steadily growing to meet the demand for our services. We have increased our staff to eight, including three attorneys, an Equal Justice Works Attorney Fellow. In addition, we have expanded our practice areas to include a wide range of civil matters including, housing, landlord tenant, property, elder law, guardianships, victims' rights and family law. Every year we set a goal to increase the number of families served and our impact. In 2024, CLA assisted 202 households through direct legal representation, consultations, and advice and counsel, bringing our total to 1,565 families served since our founding. We responded to 1,668 intake calls, and referred an additional 888 individuals to trusted partners, ensuring no one faced legal challenges alone.- 39 survivors of domestic violence received critical legal guidance and representation to seek safety and protection.- 22 kinship caregivers, in partnership with HALOS, received counsel or gained custody of children in their careoffering stability and security to the next generation.- 15 Spanish-speaking clients accessed help with family law, housing, and immigration issues, thanks to the support of our bilingual paralegal and commitment to language access.- 487 tenants were helped through the Eviction Protection Project bringing the total number of households assisted to 979.