Community Legal Aid Society

What Community Legal Aid Society does

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) is a Delaware nonprofit legal aid organization founded in 1946, operating as the state's oldest and largest civil legal aid provider and one of the oldest such programs in the United States. With approximately 70 staff across offices in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown, CLASI delivers free civil legal services to low-income Delawareans, individuals with disabilities, people aged 60 and older, and victims of violence and crime through eight practice areas: Disability Rights Delaware (Delaware's designated Protection & Advocacy system), Domestic Violence Unit, Elder Law Program, Family Representation Unit, Housing Unit, Immigration Unit, Medical-Legal Partnership Program, and Public Benefits Unit. In the most recent reported year the organization handled 7,897 cases and assisted 18,727 individuals and household members, with additional reach through systemic advocacy, impact litigation, and policy reform.

CLASI has no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is fundamentally people-based, supported by community outreach, weekly training events, a bilingual website, and an active social media presence. The revenue model is grant- and donation-funded: legal services are provided at no cost to qualifying clients, and the organization is financed through federal Protection & Advocacy funding, state appropriations, the Combined Campaign for Justice, private donations, and contributions from healthcare and community partners. Distribution occurs through three county offices plus embedded legal staff at Christiana Care Health System and other healthcare partners via the Medical-Legal Partnership. Major recent strategic moves include the January 2025 rebrand of the Disabilities Law Program to Disability Rights Delaware and a December 2025 federal settlement with the Delaware Department of Education to improve special education services for incarcerated students with disabilities. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Daniel G. Atkins (since 2015), with Chief Administrative & Financial Officer Jim Hamilton supporting operations.

Name

Community Legal Aid Society

Legal name

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Website

https://declasi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. is Delaware's oldest and largest nonprofit civil legal aid organization, providing free legal services in housing, disability, immigration, family, and elder law to low-income residents, people with disabilities, seniors, and crime victims across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Civil legal services
• Nonprofit law firm
• Free legal aid
• Public interest law
• Legal advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CLASI operates as a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization with diverse funding. Donations are accepted through the Combined Campaign for Justice (CCJ) and direct giving.
2. Free Civil Legal Services: CLASI provides free civil legal services to eligible Delawareans. Services are funded through grants, donations, and public funding rather than client fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. is a nonprofit law firm founded in 1946 that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals and families across Delaware from offices in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown. Its core work is direct legal representation, advice, and advocacy in areas such as housing, family law, public benefits, and consumer protection, delivered by a staff of approximately 70 legal and support professionals.

Product overview

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) is Delaware's oldest and largest civil legal aid organization offering free civil legal services through eight distinct programs and units. The organization operates as a multi-service legal aid practice rather than a software product company. Programs include Disability Rights Delaware (Protection & Advocacy system), Domestic Violence Unit, Elder Law Program, Family Representation Unit, Housing Unit, Immigration Unit, Medical-Legal Partnership Program, and Public Benefits Unit. Services are delivered through offices in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown, providing free legal representation to low-income individuals, people with disabilities, seniors (60+), and crime victims.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Disability Rights Delaware: Delaware's designated Protection & Advocacy system for people with disabilities, formerly known as the Disabilities Law Program
• Medical-Legal Partnership Program

Products and services

• Civil Legal Representation
• Legal Advice and Brief Services
• Community Education and Outreach Clinics
• Statewide Intake and Hotline Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Handled 7,897 cases and assisted 18,727 individuals and household members in one year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Terris, Pravlik & Millian, LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic interest law firm that partnered with CLASI on federal lawsuit CLASI v. Adult and Prison Education Resources Workgroup regarding special education services for incarcerated students with disabilities.
• Christiana Care Health System (CCHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare system partner in CLASI's Medical-Legal Partnership Program, providing integrated legal services at healthcare facilities.
• Delaware Division of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial MLP partner since 2013 supporting high-risk pregnant women where they receive prenatal care.
• Nurse Family PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLASI provides free legal services to NFP clients with unmet civil legal issues in employment, housing, benefits, and domestic violence cases.
• Healthy Beginnings Program at Christiana CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partially funded by Delaware Division of Public Health and partner in CLASI's Medical-Legal Partnership Program since 2017.
• ACLU of DelawarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CLASI in filing federal lawsuit CLASI v. Coupe against Delaware Department of Correction over solitary confinement practices and inadequate mental health treatment.
• Pepper Hamilton, LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm partnered with CLASI and ACLU of Delaware in filing federal lawsuit regarding solitary confinement and mental health treatment.
• Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLASI staff participate in DVCC committees including Immigration Committee and Family Justice Center Steering Committee.
• The Arc of DelawareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CLASI on voting rights resources for Delawareans with disabilities ahead of 2024 election.
• League of Women Voters of Sussex CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CLASI to share resources helping eligible Delawareans with disabilities prepare for elections.
• State Council for Persons with DisabilitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on ADA parking legislation (HS 2 for HB 48) to ensure Delawareans with disabilities have equal access to businesses and government services.
• Delaware Developmental Disabilities CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on ADA parking legislation to ensure accessibility compliance for Delawareans with disabilities.
• U.S. Department of JusticecoreOthersDOJ filed Statement of Interest supporting CLASI's lawsuit alleging Delaware failed to provide special education to incarcerated students with disabilities.
• University of Delaware Access:Ability Scholars ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent volunteers trained on ADA accessibility standards assisted DLP in monitoring polling places for accessibility.
• Widener Delaware Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw student volunteers assisted DLP poll monitoring team in assessing Delaware polling places for ADA compliance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Disability Rights Delaware (CLASI subsidiary program): CLASI's own P&A subsidiary, but is itself the relevant peer benchmark against other state Protection & Advocacy systems (e.g., Disability Rights Maryland, Disability Rights Pennsylvania); included for context as the program-level comparable for the P&A designation CLASI holds in Delaware.
• Legal Aid Chicago: A Chicago-based civil legal aid organization providing free legal services in housing, family, public benefits, and consumer law to low-income residents; directly comparable in mission, multi-program structure, and client base, though operating in a larger urban geography.
• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: A large multi-county civil legal aid provider serving low-income Texans across housing, family, immigration, and public benefits; directly comparable in mission, scope, and free civil legal services delivery model, though at substantially larger scale.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: A large, multi-office civil legal aid organization serving low-income clients across metro Atlanta with comparable practice areas (housing, family, public benefits, consumer); directly comparable in mission, multi-program structure, and free-service delivery model.
• Disability Rights Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania's designated P&A system for people with disabilities; provides free legal advocacy and representation on disability rights issues — directly comparable in mandate, funding structure, and service model to CLASI's P&A program.
• Disability Rights Maryland: Maryland's designated Protection & Advocacy system for people with disabilities; directly comparable to CLASI's Disability Rights Delaware program in mission, federal mandate, and service scope.
• Legal Aid Society of New York: The largest civil legal aid organization in the U.S., providing free legal services in civil matters to low-income New Yorkers across housing, family, immigration, public benefits, and elder law — directly comparable to CLASI as a multi-program civil legal aid society serving low-income and vulnerable populations with a comparable mission and service breadth.
• Mid-Atlantic Legal Aid Society of Delaware Valley (MLAS): A regional civil legal aid provider serving low-income communities in Delaware and surrounding Mid-Atlantic counties; comparable to CLASI in target population (low-income, vulnerable clients) and practice areas including housing, family, and public benefits, with overlapping geographic catchment.

Others

• Pro Bono Net: A national nonprofit that supports legal aid organizations and pro bono programs with technology, training, and resources; comparable to CLASI's mission of expanding access to justice and a likely peer in the legal aid technology and capacity-building ecosystem.
• National Medical-Legal Partnership: The national center that supports and advocates for the Medical-Legal Partnership model — the same delivery model CLASI operates with Christiana Care; relevant as the national infrastructure/peer ecosystem that convenes the MLP movement and has recognized CLASI's leadership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DECLASI
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityLegalAidSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-legal-aid-society-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/de_clasi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Aid Society