Legal Aid of Arkansas

What Legal Aid of Arkansas does

Legal Aid of Arkansas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-interest law firm established in 1967 and headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with additional offices in Springdale and Little Rock. The firm provides free civil legal services to low-income Arkansans whose income and assets fall below the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines set by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Case priorities span guardianship, powers of attorney, wills, orders of protection, domestic abuse, landlord/tenant disputes, housing discrimination, contract disputes, debt relief, consumer matters, disability rights, employment rights, public benefits (Medicaid, Food Stamps, TEA, Medicare, SSI, child care, subsidized housing), garnishments, and evictions. As of January 1, 2026, Legal Aid is the sole LSC-funded organization in Arkansas, providing services across all 75 counties following the consolidation of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) and the addition of approximately 16 inherited attorneys, bringing total attorney headcount to about 45.

The firm's product portfolio is a service platform anchored on direct legal representation and extended by specialty programs: the Fair Housing Project (Arkansas's first private fair housing enforcement program, with a Little Rock office and trained Fair Housing Testers), the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (available in English, Spanish, and Marshallese), Medical-Legal Partnerships in Arkansas, the LAROCA/Beyond Opioids Project, the SARAH sexual-assault legal resources program, estate planning services, record-sealing clinics, and a pro bono attorney network. The underlying technology stack is relatively thin: a Firespring-built nonprofit website, an online intake/application portal, case management systems, a statewide 1-800-952-9243 helpline, and a dedicated fair housing helpline (1-870-338-9834). There is no disclosed public API, mobile app, or AI/ML component.

Legal Aid's revenue model is grant-funded, not commercial. Total revenue was approximately $4.8 million in 2024 and $4.98 million in 2023, essentially flat. The Legal Services Corporation provides roughly 44% of funding, supplemented by federal grants from HUD (Fair Housing Initiatives Program; $2.1M in 2025, $425K in 2023, $406K in 2020, $281K in 2019) and HRSA, state funds, United Way of Northwest Arkansas, and individual donations (one-time, monthly, planned giving, cy pres awards). Clients do not pay for services. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the helpline, online application, in-person offices, and 405 annual community outreach events; the 2026 CALS consolidation is expected to deliver $600,000-$700,000 in annual cost savings by eliminating duplicated case management, accounting, and insurance systems.

Name

Legal Aid of Arkansas

Legal name

Legal Aid of Arkansas

Website

https://arlegalaid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Legal Aid of Arkansas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-interest law firm, founded 1967, that provides free civil legal services to low-income Arkansans in housing, family law, consumer, public benefits, and tax matters. As of January 2026, it is the sole LSC-funded legal aid organization in the state, serving all 75 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Free legal services
• Fair housing enforcement
• Low-income legal assistance
• Nonprofit law firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Jonesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Grants: LSC, the largest national funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, provided 44% of Legal Aid's funding in 2024. As of 2026, Legal Aid of Arkansas is the sole LSC-funded organization in the state.
2. Government Grants: Federal and state grants from agencies including HUD (Fair Housing Initiatives Program), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and state funds. Recent awards include $2.1M from HUD (2025), $425K (2023), $406,396 (2020), $281,396 (2019), and a combined $2M with CALS for opioid response (2020).
3. United Way Funding: Funding from United Way of Northwest Arkansas, including $128,672 from the Children Living in Poverty (CLIP) Initiative for Benton, Madison, and Washington counties (2019-2021).
4. Individual Donations: Donations are accepted via one-time gifts, monthly giving, planned giving, and cy pres awards. A notable $50,000 donation was received from artist/attorney Sarah Ridgley in 2021.
5. Legal Services Corporation Disaster/Project Grants: Targeted LSC grants such as the $161,000 Midwest Legal Disaster Coordination Project (2019) for disaster preparedness and response in Arkansas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Legal Aid of Arkansas is a nonprofit, public interest law firm that provides FREE legal services to low-income Arkansans with civil legal problems. Services are delivered by staff attorneys and a pro bono volunteer network across offices in Jonesboro, Springdale, and Little Rock, supported by a statewide helpline and online application. Core practice areas include housing, family law, consumer protection, public benefits, employment, disability rights, and estate planning, with specialized programs such as the Fair Housing Project and Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.

Product overview

Legal Aid of Arkansas is a nonprofit, public-interest law firm (not a software vendor), so its "product portfolio" is a unified service platform of free civil legal aid programs delivered through a statewide office network rather than a software platform with add-on modules. The core service — free civil legal services for low-income Arkansans — anchors the offering and is extended by specialized sub-programs and projects including the Fair Housing Project, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Medical Legal Partnerships in Arkansas, Beyond Opioids Project, SARAH Program, Estate Planning Services (including Virtual Estate Planning), Record Sealing Clinics, community Help Desks (e.g., 7hills Homeless Shelter), the Pro Bono Attorney Program, Arkansas Re-entry Awareness events, and supporting Self-Help Resources, Story Collective, and Newsletter content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fair Housing Project: A project of Legal Aid of Arkansas that seeks to eliminate housing discrimination through testing, education, advocacy and enforcement of the Fair Housing Act; housed in a dedicated Little Rock office and led by a Fair Housing Project Director.
• LAROCA (Legal Aid as a Response to the Opioid Crisis in Arkansas)
• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
• Medical Legal Partnerships in Arkansas
• Beyond Opioids Project

Products and services

• Free Civil Legal Services Core service: free legal representation and advice to low-income Arkansans on civil matters including housing, family law, consumer issues, public benefits (Medicaid, Food Stamps, TEA, SSI), evictions, domestic abuse, disability rights, employment, and estate planning. Delivered by staff attorneys and a pro bono volunteer network across offices in Jonesboro, Springdale, and Little Rock, with intake via a statewide helpline (1-800-952-9243) and online application.
• Fair Housing Project Arkansas's first private fair housing enforcement law firm, providing fair housing testing, education and outreach, investigation, and litigation of housing discrimination claims based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Operates a Fair Housing Helpline at 1-870-338-9834 and a paid Fair Housing Tester program.
• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Free representation for low-income Arkansas taxpayers in federal tax controversies, IRS audits, and disputes with private debt collectors, plus EITC outreach and education. Services available in English, Spanish, and Marshallese.
• Medical-Legal Partnerships in Arkansas Embeds Legal Aid attorneys within healthcare settings so that providers can refer low-income patients whose health conditions are caused or aggravated by civil legal issues such as unsafe housing, benefits denials, or domestic violence.
• Beyond Opioids Project / LAROCA Civil legal services for individuals and families impacted by the opioid crisis and other substance use disorders in Arkansas, addressing barriers to recovery such as loss of housing, consumer debt, domestic violence, child custody, arrest records, and court-ordered class fees.
• SARAH Program (Sexual Assault Resources and Help) Free legal advice and victim-centered advocacy for student survivors of sexual violence at colleges in Legal Aid's service area, regardless of income. Includes navigating on-campus disciplinary procedures, accommodations, civil protective orders, victim privacy, retaliation response, and safety planning. Walk-in help desk hosted at the University of Arkansas Wellness Center.
• Estate Planning Services (Wills, Powers of Attorney, Advanced Directives)
• Record Sealing Clinics Walk-in clinics that help eligible Arkansans petition the courts to seal or expunge criminal records, increasing employability and access to housing.
• Pro Bono Attorney Program Coordinates a panel of volunteer private attorneys who take cases referred by Legal Aid of Arkansas, providing free legal services to clients; 1,500 volunteer hours were contributed in the most recent reporting year.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5,582,223 recovered or avoided for clients in the most recent year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Arkansas Access to Justice CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed a statewide task force that studied the possibility of Arkansas having only one legal aid program. The task force's 2024 decision recommended that Arkansas consolidate to a single legal aid program, paving the way for Legal Aid to become the sole provider as of January 1, 2026.
• STAR Central, University of ArkansascoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership launched October 2018 created the Sexual Assault Resources and Help (SARAH) program, providing student survivors of sexual violence with access to free legal advice and victim-centered advocacy. Walk-in help desk available Tuesdays 1-3pm at the Wellness Center.
• Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosted Planning for Your Family's Future estate planning clinic on February 2, 2019 benefiting 25 single parent scholarship recipients; together with Legal Aid and Benton County Bar Association, prepared 91 legal documents (wills, powers of attorney, advanced directives).
• Benton County Bar AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Legal Aid and Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County to host an estate planning clinic for single parent college students; Benton County Bar Association members served as organizers and volunteer attorneys.
• University of Arkansas School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides law students as volunteers for clinics (estate planning, record sealing), Equal Justice Works Fellows hosted by Legal Aid, and law school leadership (Dean Cynthia Nance, faculty like Professor Annie Smith as Legal Aid Board Chair since 2023).
• University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided law students for Legal Aid's Spring Break on the Road to Justice Project; Consumer Protection Clinic represented tenants alongside Legal Aid in the Alexander Apartments v. City of Little Rock case.
• National Health Law Program (NHeLP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-litigant with Legal Aid in Gresham v. Azar (Medicaid work requirements case); jointly challenged the Trump administration's approval of Arkansas's restrictive Medicaid waiver. The 2020 DC Circuit ruling in favor of plaintiffs protected ~170,000 Arkansas Works beneficiaries.
• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-litigant with Legal Aid in Gresham v. Azar; SPLC's deputy legal director Sam Brooke participated in the successful challenge to Arkansas's Medicaid work reporting requirements.
• Jenner & BlockminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-counsel representing Medicaid enrollees in Gresham v. Azar; partner Ian Heath Gershengorn argued the case before the DC Circuit, which ruled unanimously for plaintiffs in February 2020.
• Relman ColfaxcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-counsel representing Michelle Walker in the May 2026 federal lawsuit against Return to the Land for racial discrimination; leading Washington, D.C.-based fair housing law group.
• NAACP Legal Defense FundcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-counsel with Legal Aid of Arkansas and Relman Colfax in Walker v. Return to the Land lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by whites-only housing community in Ravenden, Arkansas.
• Texas Advocacy ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Legal Aid of Arkansas and a coalition of nonprofits in August 2023 filing an amicus brief in US v. Rahimi to safeguard domestic violence survivors from lethal firearms access.
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered on the FTC's "Pass It On" fraud awareness campaign targeting consumers over 65; Legal Aid hosts talks in Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas on scam recognition and reporting.
• Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCALS (founded 1965) dissolved at end of 2025; Legal Aid of Arkansas assumed responsibility for providing free civil legal services statewide as of January 1, 2026. Most CALS employees were hired by Legal Aid; CALS's 44 counties were added to Legal Aid's existing 31 counties for statewide 75-county coverage. The transition is expected to save $600,000-$700,000 annually.
• Arkansas Bar FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Legal Aid's annual Spring Break on the Road to Justice Project, which provides free legal services such as criminal record sealing clinics across Eastern Arkansas.
• Arkansas Department of Workforce ServicescoreOthersLegal Aid filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against DWS in February 2021 and represented plaintiffs in litigation over pandemic unemployment benefits and algorithm transparency. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Legal Aid in June 2022, ordering DWS to disclose information about its unemployment claims algorithm. DWS also donated use of its mobile workforce center to support Legal Aid's record sealing clinics.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership:
• National Fair Housing Alliance:

Direct peers

• Maryland Legal Aid: Statewide LSC-funded civil legal aid provider serving low-income Marylanders. Comparable in mission, statewide structure, federal grant reliance, and program mix including foreclosure prevention, public benefits, family law, and consumer protection.
• Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid:
• Bay Area Legal Aid: LSC-funded civil legal aid provider serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable in delivery model (offices, helplines, clinics) and case priority mix, though operating in a higher-cost urban geography with different client demographics.
• Lone Star Legal Aid: LSC-funded civil legal aid organization serving low-income Texans across a large, multi-county service area. Directly comparable in mission, funding model (LSC + federal grants), case priority mix (housing, family, public benefits), and reliance on statewide office networks and a centralized helpline.
• Legal Aid of North Carolina: North Carolina's statewide LSC-funded civil legal aid provider, also a consolidated single-program state. Operates similar specialty programs (housing, disaster response, disaster preparedness) and shares the federal-grant funding model and statewide single-LSC-grantee structure.
• Georgia Legal Services Program: Statewide LSC-funded legal aid program serving low-income Georgians. Directly comparable in mission, case priorities, and grant-dependent revenue model, and similar in operating scale and statewide office footprint to Legal Aid of Arkansas.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services NYC:

Regional players

• Disability Rights Arkansas:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arlegalaid
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-k3jqzRIbzbySbngo8F5Vw
• Facebookfacebook.com/arlegalaid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legal-aid-of-arkansas
• Instagraminstagram.com/arlegalaid/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Legal Aid of Arkansas