Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

What Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida does

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLS) is a nonprofit legal aid organization founded in 1964 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, that delivers no-cost civil legal services to low-income individuals, families, and small organizations across the Mid-Florida region. Operating under the public-facing brand "Legal Access for All," the organization provides assistance across three core service categories: Family & Personal (divorce and children, housing, health, military and veterans, wills and estates); Financial Matters (debt and creditors, disaster relief, public benefits, small business and non-profit formation); and Issues & Rights (criminal history, discrimination and workers' rights, fraud, older adults, student and children's rights, violence protection). Services are delivered free of charge to clients who meet income-based eligibility requirements.

The organization's core delivery infrastructure consists of a Self-Help Online Portal with categorized legal resources and downloadable materials, Virtual Legal Clinics delivered via video conferencing, scheduled in-person legal clinics at community locations (including the Daytona Beach office), and a Pro Bono Attorney Program that matches eligible clients with volunteer attorneys through cases, clinics, and the Pro Bono Peer Academy training program. Leadership includes Kevin Ross as President and Sherrille D. Akin as Vice President.

CLS operates under a grant-funded, community-led go-to-market model. Primary revenue derives from Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the federal civil legal aid funder, supplemented by HUD housing counseling funding, United Way, Funding Florida, individual and corporate donations, cy pres awards, and contributed pro bono attorney services. The organization markets itself through community partner referrals, events, social media, and a content-marketing website, reaching clients primarily through partnerships with social service organizations, referral networks, and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

Legal name

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

Website

https://clsmf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida is a 1964-founded nonprofit legal aid organization providing no-cost civil legal services—including family law, housing, public benefits, and rights matters—to low-income individuals and families across the Mid-Florida region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Legal Literacy & Public Legal Education (Know Your Rights) (EDAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Legal aid services
• Pro bono legal
• Nonprofit legal services
• Housing counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a federally funded nonprofit that provides civil legal aid to low-income Americans. Additional support from HUD for housing counseling programs.
2. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including Funding Florida and United Way for specific program areas and community services.
3. Individual and Corporate Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals and corporations through organized giving programs including individual donations, corporate giving, and cy pres awards.
4. Pro Bono Attorney Services: Volunteer attorney services contributed through Pro Bono Attorneys program, providing legal representation at no cost to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida is a nonprofit legal aid organization that provides no-cost civil legal services to low-income individuals and families across the Mid-Florida region. Its core offerings include self-help online resources, scheduled legal clinics (virtual and in-person), pro bono attorney representation, and navigation assistance covering family law, housing, public benefits, consumer protection, and other civil matters.

Product overview

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida operates as a legal aid organization providing no-cost legal services through multiple service channels. The core offering consists of Self-Help online resources organized by topic (Family & Personal, Financial Matters, Issues & Rights), Navigation Assistance for guided support, and Pro Bono Attorney Programs connecting volunteer lawyers with those in need. The organization also runs Legal Clinic Events offering both virtual and in-person legal advice sessions. These services are delivered through a nonprofit framework with volunteer and donation support structures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUD-approved housing counseling agency providing fair housing education and assistance. HUD designation enables CLS to offer housing-related legal services.
• Homeless Services Network of Central FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership addressing homelessness through coordinated services. CLS provides legal assistance for housing-related issues affecting homeless populations.
• Candid (GuideStar)supportingOthersNonprofit information platform providing transparency verification through the Gold Seal, helping demonstrate organizational accountability.
• SHRM FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing Workplace Mental Health Ally certification for organizational staff, supporting employee wellbeing initiatives.
• Best Companies GroupsupportingOthersPartners in the Best Places to Work recognition program for nonprofits, providing third-party workplace assessment.
• Nonprofit SearchsupportingOthersNonprofit directory providing visibility and verification services for community organizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mid-Penn Legal Services: Pennsylvania-based LSC-funded legal aid nonprofit serving low-income residents across central PA through a similar combination of staff attorneys, pro bono programs, and self-help resources in family, housing, and public benefits matters.
• Lone Star Legal Aid: Largest LSC-funded legal aid program in Texas, providing civil legal services across a multi-county service area through staff and volunteer attorneys; highly comparable in practice-area breadth, funding mix, and hybrid delivery model.
• Legal Services of New Jersey: Statewide LSC-funded legal aid provider in New Jersey offering free civil legal help and self-help resources across virtually identical practice areas; comparable in scale (100+ attorneys) and hybrid staff-pro bono delivery.
• Florida Legal Services: Statewide LSC-funded legal aid organization providing free civil legal services to low-income Floridians across similar practice areas (housing, family, public benefits), directly comparable to CLS's service model and funding structure.
• Bay Area Legal Services: Tampa Bay-based LSC-funded legal aid nonprofit serving low-income residents across West Central Florida, operating with a comparable mix of paid staff attorneys, pro bono volunteers, and HUD counseling — a direct geographic neighbor and operational peer to CLS.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Long-standing regional legal aid society serving low-income clients in metro Atlanta through staff attorneys and volunteer lawyers across housing, family, consumer, and public benefits practice areas — closely mirrors CLS's model and grant-funded structure.
• Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County: Florida regional LSC-funded legal aid provider offering civil legal services across similar practice areas; operates the same hybrid staff-plus-pro-bono model with self-help portals and clinic events for low-income Floridians.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Society (New York): The largest civil legal aid organization in the United States; operates an analogous hybrid staff-pro bono model serving low-income clients across civil practice areas, though at significantly larger scale than CLS.

Others

• Equal Justice Works: National nonprofit that sponsors AmeriCorps legal fellowships at legal aid organizations including LSC-funded providers like CLS; an ecosystem enabler and indirect peer through shared fellowship pipelines and convening.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: National membership and advocacy umbrella for civil legal aid and public defense organizations; CLS participates as a member, making NLADA a comparably positioned ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clsmf
• Facebookfacebook.com/communitylegalservicesofmidflorida
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clsmfinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida