Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

What Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law does

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law (HBCFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal aid organization headquartered at 3250 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1987 (referenced elsewhere as 1982) to provide free family law legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles County. Its core services span child custody and visitation, child support, parentage, restraining orders, divorce, property division, and spousal support, with specialized focus on domestic violence survivors. Programs include the Free Legal Consultation Program (a fully remote phone-based intake service), full legal representation for DV survivors, a Volunteer Attorney Program, a Law Student Internship Program, CLE webinars for attorneys, and the New Leaders Network for young professionals. The technology stack is limited to LegalServer for online intake and standard office/telephonic operations; no proprietary software, AI capabilities, or apps are disclosed.

HBCFL operates as a direct-service organization with no resellers or intermediaries, distributing services exclusively to individual low-income LA County residents through its New Client Line (213-388-7515), online application, and in-person or remote consultations, with multilingual support including Spanish and accessible intake options for hearing-impaired clients. Revenue is non-transactional — all client services are free — and is funded through a mix of federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding, individual donations, event-based fundraising (Fête Harriett, Buhai Community Celebration, Betty Nordwind Legacy Fund), and California cy pres awards directed by courts from residual class action and probate funds. Substantial in-kind capacity is provided by volunteer attorneys, CPAs, psychologists, and law students, including a 20-year fellowship pipeline with USC through the Trope Family Law Public Interest Fellowship.

The organization is led by Executive Director Stacy Horth-Neubert (appointed in 2023, succeeding Betty Nordwind after her 36-year tenure) under Board President Serine Tsuda. Strategic partnerships include Southwestern Law School's family law clinic (since 2018, the only such clinic in LA), the East LA Women's Center referral network, Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles (co-founder), and the LA Regional Reentry Partnership for the Women's Gender-Responsive Jail Project. HBCFL holds the 2020 Spencer Brandeis Award from the LACBA Family Law Section — the first nonprofit lawyer honored — and is actively exposed to FY2026 CSBG funding risk being debated at the federal level.

Name

Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

Legal name

Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

Website

https://hbcfl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free family law and domestic violence legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles County, funded by federal grants, donations, and cy pres awards, and supported by a pro bono volunteer attorney network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAC

Family & Parenting Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAIAFAC

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Family law representation
• Domestic violence assistance
• Pro bono legal services
• Nonprofit legal advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Federal CSBG Funding: Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) federal funding is one of the most reliable funding sources, currently at risk of being cut from federal budget for 2026.
2. Cy Pres Awards: Courts direct residual funds from class action, probate, or similar cases to the Center under California's cy pres doctrine, providing direct investment in family law services.
3. Individual Donations: The Center accepts donations from individuals, including event fundraisers like Fête Harriett and the Buhai Community Celebration, and the Betty Nordwind Legacy Fund.
4. Pro Bono Professional Services: Attorneys, CPAs, psychologists and other professionals volunteer court representation, mentoring and specialized services, providing in-kind legal support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law provides free legal services, education, and advocacy to low-income residents of Los Angeles County in family law matters, including child custody and visitation, child support, parentage, restraining orders, divorce, property division, and spousal support. It specializes in serving domestic violence survivors and operates ancillary programs such as Continuing Legal Education webinars, a Volunteer Attorney Program, Law Student Internships, and the New Leaders Network.

Product overview

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law is a nonprofit legal aid organization providing free family law services to low-income residents of Los Angeles County. The Center operates as a single unified service organization offering direct legal assistance programs including a Free Legal Consultation Program (remote phone consultations), full legal representation for domestic violence survivors, and court representation for family law matters. Supporting programs include Continuing Legal Education (CLE) webinars for attorneys, a Volunteer Attorney Program connecting pro bono lawyers with clients, Law Student Internship opportunities, and the New Leaders Network for young professionals. All services are free to qualifying individuals, with donations accepted.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Legal Consultation Program A fully remote program where volunteer attorneys and law students conduct free family law phone consultations for underserved Los Angeles residents, providing legal advice under the guidance of Center attorneys. Open to legal professionals and law students, with no family law experience required.
• Family Law Legal Services Free legal representation and assistance for low-income residents of Los Angeles County in core family law matters including child custody and visitation, child support, parentage/paternity, restraining orders, divorce, property division, and spousal support.
• Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Specialized legal services for survivors of domestic violence, including assistance with restraining orders, custody orders, and protection from abuse.
• Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Webinars Professional development webinars for attorneys focused on family law topics, with proceedings supporting the Center's free legal services.
• Volunteer Attorney Program Program connecting volunteer attorneys with clients for court representation, mentoring, and specialized legal services in family law matters.
• Law Student Internship Program Internship opportunities for law students and recent graduates to gain experience in family law under Center attorney supervision.
• New Leaders Network Networking group for next-generation leaders in Los Angeles who support social justice and family law access to justice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of survivors with pro bono attorneys obtained temporary restraining orders; nearly half secured permanent ones (California 2020 statewide evaluation)

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership (LARRP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019Countywide network of public, community and faith-based agencies. The Center partners through its Women's Gender-Responsive Jail Project to support formerly incarcerated women with family law services.
• Southwestern Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Innovative partnership offering SWLS students a family law clinic program incorporating academic and real-world practice experience for school credit. The only clinical education program in LA dedicated to family law including topics pertaining to stopping domestic violence and enhancing child welfare. Started in fall 2018, taught and supervised by Center Staff Attorney Rebecca Fischer.
• East LA Women's CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic violence agency that referred Rosario to the Buhai Center for legal support. Part of the Center's referral network for survivors seeking family law assistance.
• Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles (BWL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. The Center expresses pride in this historical connection and diverse support base.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS): Los Angeles County nonprofit legal aid provider serving low-income residents with family law, housing, and consumer matters. Directly comparable grant-funded nonprofit model serving the same target population in overlapping service areas of the San Fernando Valley and greater LA.
• Bet Tzedek Legal Services: Los Angeles–based nonprofit legal aid organization serving low-income clients in family law, domestic violence, and related civil matters. Closest peer: similar size, similar urban Jewish-affiliated nonprofit structure, parallel reliance on cy pres awards and government grants, and overlapping DV/custody caseload.
• Public Counsel Law Center: LA's pro bono public interest law firm, the largest in the U.S. Provides free family law and DV services to low-income clients. Comparable direct competitor for grant funding, pro bono attorney hours, and court-referred cases.
• Community Legal Aid SoCal: Southern California–based nonprofit legal aid organization serving low-income clients including family law and DV. Comparable delivery model with offices across counties; useful for cross-county expansion benchmarking for HBCFL.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: LA's largest general civil legal aid provider, overlapping directly in family law and domestic violence representation for low-income residents. Comparable operating model: nonprofit, pro bono–augmented staff, grant- and donation-funded, serving the same client pool across LA County.

Broad incumbents

• Inner City Law Center: LA-based nonprofit legal services organization with overlapping mission serving low-income residents. Stronger housing and homelessness focus but competes for the same pro bono talent, CSBG-adjacent state funding, and donor base.

Others

• Southwestern Law School Clinic Program: Host academic partner for HBCFL's family law clinical education program. While not a service competitor, the partnership is structurally relevant for understanding how HBCFL pipelines future pro bono attorneys.
• Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA): Membership bar association that operates the Lawyer Referral Service and centers awarding the Spencer Brandeis Award to HBCFL's former ED. Functions as an ecosystem partner and pro bono referral conduit rather than a direct competitor for family law representation.

Regional players

• California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA): Statewide California legal aid nonprofit serving rural and farmworker populations with civil legal services including family law. Comparable funding model and caseload mix, but operates outside HBCFL's LA County geography.
• Law Foundation of Silicon Valley: Northern California legal aid nonprofit serving low-income Santa Clara County residents with family law and DV representation. Comparable operational scale and funding model but operates in a different regional market than HBCFL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hbcfl
• Facebookfacebook.com/harriettbuhaicenterforfamilylaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law