Pangea Legal Services

What Pangea Legal Services does

Pangea Legal Services is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the early 2010s that provides free and low-cost legal representation to immigrants in removal proceedings. Approximately 80% of clients are in active deportation cases, and the organization reports a near 100% success rate across 3,000+ complex matters since inception, often setting legal precedent. The organization operates offices in San Francisco and San Jose and pairs direct legal services with community organizing, leadership development, and policy advocacy at the intersection of disability justice, prison abolition, and immigration rights.

Pangea's core offerings include detained and non-detained removal defense, the Asylee Legal Empowerment Partnership (ALEP) which trains asylum seekers to represent themselves, the country's first 24/7 Rapid Response Hotline for immigrants at risk of deportation (replicated in 40+ jurisdictions), the Migra-Watch neighborhood defense network, Know Your Rights programming, and the Healing Justice program delivered with the Colibri Collective. The organization also fiscally sponsors Project ANAR, an Afghan-led initiative spun off from Pangea to serve Afghan refugees. There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; service delivery relies on conventional legal practice tools, telephone-based rapid response, and community organizing rather than a software product.

Pangea generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model combining tax-deductible donations, foundation and government grants, and sliding-scale legal fees. Asylum case flat fees are priced at approximately $4,000 versus $7,000-$10,000 in the private market, with detained clients served pro bono and other clients paying $100-$300 monthly on a sliding scale. The organization received a $2 million transformational grant from Yield Giving (established by MacKenzie Scott) in March 2024, structured to be deployed over a decade for organizational infrastructure. Pangea operates under a horizontal staff-collective model with a flat salary structure, no executive director, and no traditional hierarchy.

Name

Pangea Legal Services

Legal name

Pangea Legal Services

Website

https://pangealegal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pangea Legal Services is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal representation, primarily deportation defense, to immigrants and asylum seekers across Northern California, with a near 100% case success rate across 3,000+ matters since 2013.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Deportation defense
• Asylum representation
• Immigrant community organizing
• Rapid response hotline

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Registered 501(c)(3) organization accepting tax-deductible donations. Received $2 million transformational grant from Yield Giving (MacKenzie Scott's initiative) to build organizational infrastructure and ensure long-term financial stability.
2. Legal Services Fees: Low-fee and pro-bono legal services. Typical flat fee for asylum case in removal proceedings is $4,000 (vs $7,000-$10,000 private market). Detained clients receive free services. Sliding scale payments of $100-$300/month based on ability to pay.
3. Government Grants: Government-funded grants such as San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC) grant supporting pro bono work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pangea Legal Services delivers free or low-cost, full-scope legal representation to immigrants in removal proceedings, including both detained and non-detained deportation defense, asylum applications, and bond proceedings. Beyond direct legal services, it operates a 24/7 Rapid Response Hotline, trains asylees to self-represent via the Asylee Legal Empowerment Partnership, and runs community-organizing and policy-advocacy programs aimed at ending immigrant detention. Pricing is on a sliding scale ($100-$300/month) with a typical $4,000 flat fee for asylum cases, and all detained clients receive pro bono representation.

Product overview

Pangea Legal Services is a nonprofit legal services organization offering a comprehensive suite of immigration legal services, primarily focused on deportation defense. The organization operates on a sliding-scale fee model, providing free services to detained clients. Key offerings include detained and non-detained removal defense legal representation, the Asylee Legal Empowerment Partnership (ALEP) for self-representation training, and community organizing through Papeles Para Todxs. Additional programs include the 24/7 Rapid Response Hotline, Migra-Watch neighborhood defense network, Leadership & Organizing Meetings, Healing Justice Program, Know Your Rights resources, and Policy Advocacy at local/state/national/international levels. The organization also fiscally sponsors Project ANAR for Afghan refugee assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Detained Removal Defense Full-scope legal representation for immigrants in detained removal proceedings, covering bond hearings, removal defense, and encounters with ICE and asylum officials; services provided to detained clients are free of charge.
• Non-Detained Removal Defense Immigration court legal representation for non-detained individuals seeking to stop deportation and remain in the U.S. with their families, including asylum applications packaged in a flat-fee bundle priced significantly below private market rates.
• Asylee Legal Empowerment Partnership (ALEP) Training program that teaches asylum seekers to represent themselves in immigration court using their own skills, knowledge, and voice through in-person workshops and hearing simulations.
• 24/7 Rapid Response Hotline First 24/7 Rapid Response Network in the nation, founded in 2017, connecting residents with attorneys and essential services following ICE arrests; its model has been replicated across many other cities and states with Pangea's technical assistance.
• Healing Justice Program Four-month healing justice program run in partnership with Colibri Collective for formerly detained community members and their families, using art, community building, and collective healing to process trauma.
• Project ANAR (Afghan Network for Advocacy and Resources) Fiscally-sponsored Afghan-led immigration justice program providing humanitarian parole legal services, community education, and advocacy for Afghan refugees, originally co-founded by Pangea during the 2021 Afghanistan crisis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100% success rate on immigration legal services, often setting legal precedent
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Project ANAR (Afghan Network for Advocacy and Resources)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded initiative to support Afghan refugees through humanitarian parole applications. Pangea served as fiscal sponsor. Project ANAR connected thousands of Afghans with over 1,000 legal volunteers who filed more than 1,000 applications during the 2021 humanitarian crisis. Pangea then supported Project ANAR to become its own organization led by Afghan people.
• Disability & Immigrant Justice CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded coalition working in partnership with disability justice organizers and community leaders to create programs and advocate for specific needs of disabled immigrant people.
• Yuba Liberation CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working to close Yuba County Jail ICE contract. Successfully achieved termination of the ICE contract in December 2022. Coalition members include ACLU of Northern California, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Faithful Friends, and Pangea Legal Services.
• Papeles Para TodxscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBase-building driving force organized by Pangea to end immigrant detention in California and win citizenship for all nationally. Meets twice monthly to cultivate leadership and organizing skills.
• Rapid Response Networks (Bay Area)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst 24/7 Rapid Response Network in the nation, founded in 2017. Dispatchers available 24/7 to connect residents with attorneys and essential services following ICE arrests. Model replicated across many other cities and states with Pangea's technical assistance.
• Afghan Legal and Community PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of legal partners including: Afghan American Community Organization, Afghan Diaspora for Equality & Progress, Berkeley Law for Afghanistan Project, Centro Legal de la Raza, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Innovation Law Labs, Oasis Legal Services, PARS Equality Center, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center.
• Colibri CollectivemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Healing Justice program - four-month-long program for formerly detained community members and their families to process trauma through art, community building, and collective healing.
• Just Futures LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in joint FOIA lawsuit to expose DHS/ICE use of AI. Released thousands of internal documents in June 2026 revealing details on AI surveillance technologies used against immigrants.
• MijentemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint FOIA lawsuit with Just Futures Law and Pangea to expose DHS/ICE AI use and surveillance technologies targeting immigrant communities.
• Center for Gender & Refugee StudiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal partner in multiple lawsuits challenging Trump administration asylum restrictions and working on deportation defense litigation.
• Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal partner in lawsuits challenging asylum rule changes and deportation practices. Represents Pangea in litigation against federal government.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National nonprofit network providing immigration legal services and capacity-building training to affiliated Catholic charities programs. Listed as a Pangea coalition partner and represents a much larger, broader-incumbent alternative in the same immigration legal services space.
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): National advocacy organization advancing low-income immigrants' rights through impact litigation, policy analysis, and communications rather than direct client representation. A broader-incumbent counterpart for Pangea's policy/advocacy work at the state and federal levels.

Direct peers

• PARS Equality Center: Bay Area-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services, advocacy, and community programming to Iranian, Afghan, and other Middle Eastern immigrant communities. Named Pangea coalition partner within Afghan legal network; overlapping direct legal services and community-organizing model.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing pro bono legal representation to immigrant children in removal proceedings. Closely aligned mission with Pangea's deportation-defense focus but specializes in unaccompanied minors rather than the broader asylum/withheld-removal caseload.
• Innovation Law Lab: Portland-based nonprofit that combines direct immigration legal representation, impact litigation, and movement lawyering. Directly comparable as a named Pangea coalition partner (Afghan legal network) and a similarly mission-aligned nonprofit immigration legal services organization.
• Oasis Legal Services: Bay Area nonprofit providing legal services primarily to LGBTQ+ immigrants including asylum and removal defense. A named Pangea partner within the Afghan legal network with an overlapping specialty-immigration legal services focus.
• Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON): National network of faith-based immigration legal services clinics offering low-cost representation. Comparable direct-service legal aid model targeting low-income immigrants, similar in funding model (donations/grants) and sliding-fee approach.
• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): Texas-based nonprofit providing low-cost and free immigration legal services, including deportation defense, to a comparable undocumented client base. Closest direct peer in mission, pricing model, and federal-immigration-court focus, though RAICES operates at significantly larger scale.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP): Washington-state-based nonprofit legal services organization offering direct immigration representation including removal defense to a regional base. Mirrors Pangea's combination of direct legal services, community education, and policy advocacy, though with broader service-line breadth.
• Centro Legal de la Raza: Oakland-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services alongside housing, workers' rights, and other civil legal aid to Bay Area communities. Directly comparable regional peer; listed as a Pangea coalition partner on Afghan legal services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PangeaLegal
• Facebookfacebook.com/PangeaLegalServices
• Instagraminstagram.com/pangealegal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Pangea Legal Services