Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles

What Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles does

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles (CLA-LA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious corporation founded circa 2006 and based in Inglewood, California. The organization provides free legal services to very low income residents of Los Angeles County, targeting populations that include veterans, the elderly, homeless families, victims of domestic violence, refugees, and justice-involved individuals. CLA-LA's primary practice areas are family law (custody, support, visitation, guardianship, divorce), post-conviction relief (expungements, Prop 47, Prop 64, rights restoration), housing and eviction defense, immigration, debt/bankruptcy guidance, and small claims matters. All services are delivered at no charge to the client, with each engagement costing the organization more than $250 to deliver.

CLA-LA's core product is a Saturday Free Legal Aid Clinic held roughly monthly from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., delivered both in-person at partner churches across Los Angeles County (including La Iglesia de Morningside United Church in Inglewood and Cornerstone Church of West Los Angeles) and via Zoom/phone consultations. Each clinic provides 60-90 minutes of individualized legal advice from licensed California attorneys and supervised law students, focused on document review, form completion, and personalized action plans rather than ongoing court representation. Surrounding the clinic, the organization operates a Legal Internship Program spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura Counties; a Volunteer Program for attorneys, paralegals, interpreters, clergy, and spiritual care providers; a comprehensive Legal Aid Manual produced with Hugh & Hazel Darling Foundation funding; topical Workshops covering immigration, post-conviction relief, employment, and estate planning; and optional Spiritual Care Services. CLA-LA does not operate a proprietary technology platform, relying instead on standard nonprofit case management, scheduling, and communications tooling.

The business model is donation-funded rather than service-revenue-funded. In 2024 the organization collected $158,944 in charitable contributions, of which approximately 20% came from private foundations (primarily for educational purposes such as the Darling Foundation-funded Legal Aid Manual) and the remainder from private individual donors, including recurring monthly givers through the Micah 6:8 Challenge. The Annual Prayer Breakfast (held for the 19th time on October 25, 2025) is the marquee fundraising event. The delivery model is highly volunteer-driven: attorneys, law students, paralegals, and other professionals from schools including USC, UCLA, Pepperdine, Loyola, and Southwestern staff clinics pro bono, which keeps per-client delivery cost-effective while extending reach. Customers are individual consumers receiving free services, with no enterprise accounts, paid contracts, or transaction revenue.

Name

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles

Legal name

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles

Website

https://cla-la.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free Saturday legal consultations to very low income Los Angeles County residents, delivered by volunteer attorneys and law students at partner churches and via Zoom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Free legal aid services
• Nonprofit legal clinics
• Pro bono legal services
• Community legal help
• Christian legal counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

Inglewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CLA-LA relies heavily on private individual contributions to fund operations. The organization runs annual fundraising appeals and encourages monthly giving through the Micah 6:8 Challenge ($68/month pledge). The 2024 charitable activity collected $158,944 total.
2. Foundation Grants: Approximately 20% of CLA-LA's funding comes from private foundations, primarily for educational purposes. A grant from the Hugh & Hazel Darling Foundation funded the creation of a comprehensive Legal Aid Manual for volunteer attorneys.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles (CLA-LA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free legal aid clinics to very low income residents of Los Angeles County. Services are delivered through Saturday in-person clinics at partner churches and via Zoom/phone consultations, offering 60-90 minute consultations with licensed California attorneys who review paperwork, help fill forms, and create personalized action plans. The organization combines legal self-help education with optional spiritual care and prayer support.

Product overview

Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles (CLA-LA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides free legal services to very low income residents of Los Angeles County through a network of volunteer attorneys, law students, and legal professionals. The organization's core offerings include Saturday Free Legal Aid Clinics (held both in-person at various churches and via Zoom/phone), Attorney Consultations providing 60-90 minutes of free legal advice, a Legal Internship Program for law students, and a Volunteer Program for attorneys and legal professionals. Supplementary services include Legal Aid Manual resources funded by the Hugh & Hazel Darling Foundation, educational Workshops on various legal topics, and Spiritual Care Services. CLA-LA does not provide ongoing legal representation but focuses on empowering clients through education, action plans, and referrals to specialized organizations when needed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Legal Aid Clinics In-person and Zoom/phone legal aid clinics held on Saturdays from 1pm-4pm, offering free 60-90 minute attorney consultations to very low income residents of Los Angeles County. Pre-registration is required.
• Attorney Consultations Free individualized legal advice provided by licensed California attorneys and volunteer legal professionals at CLA-LA clinics. Services include legal rights education, document preparation guidance, and personalized action plans.
• Legal Internship Program Educational internship program for law students and recent graduates providing practical legal experience through clinic participation, with opportunities across Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura Counties.
• Volunteer Program Program enabling attorneys, law students, paralegals, interpreters, and other professionals to serve clients at legal clinics. Volunteers include licensed attorneys, legal professionals, mental health professionals, clergy, and spiritual care volunteers.
• Legal Education Workshops Educational seminars providing clients with overviews of their general legal rights. Past workshop topics have included immigration, post-conviction relief, employment law, and estate planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 charitable activity: $149,908 used for charitable purposes out of $158,944 total collected

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Christian Legal Society (CLS) - Christian Legal Aid NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA-LA is a member of the Christian Legal Society Christian Legal Aid Network. CLS is a fellowship of Christians dedicated to serving Jesus Christ through the practice and study of law, the defense of religious freedom and life, and the provision of legal aid to the needy. The network provides resources, support, and connections for starting and operating Christian legal aid clinics.
• Churches and Nonprofits (Host Clinics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA-LA partners with churches and nonprofits across Los Angeles County to host free legal aid clinics. Churches provide venue space and community trust, enabling CLA-LA to reach vulnerable populations. Locations have included La Iglesia de Morningside United Church in Inglewood and Cornerstone Church of West Los Angeles.
• Legal Aid Organizations (Referral Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA-LA refers clients to other legal aid organizations when ongoing representation is needed. Referral partners include: Eviction Defense Network, Levitt Quinn Family Law Center, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, and Public Counsel.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Counsel: LA's largest pro bono law firm providing free legal services to poor and low-income residents across many civil practice areas. Comparable mission and target population; CLA-LA is a referral partner for clients needing sustained representation.
• Pacific Justice Institute: California-based faith-oriented legal nonprofit providing free legal aid with a Christian framework. Comparable faith-based, free-service model and was previously affiliated with CLA-LA's Executive Director.
• Levitt Quinn Family Law Center: LA-based legal aid organization providing free family law services (custody, support, divorce) to low-income families. Directly comparable to CLA-LA's family-law-focused client segment and a listed referral partner.
• Inner City Law Center: LA-based legal aid nonprofit serving low-income residents with focus on homelessness prevention, housing, and immigrant rights. Comparable mission, geography, and client base; operates paid-staff model at meaningfully larger scale.
• Bet Tzedek Legal Services: LA-based legal aid nonprofit providing free legal services across housing, family, immigration, and public benefits to vulnerable populations. Comparable mission, geography, and service model to CLA-LA, with broader paid-staff operations.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: LA County's largest general civil legal aid provider for low-income residents. Directly comparable as a referral partner to CLA-LA serving the same client segments (housing, family law, immigration) but with paid staff attorneys and significantly larger funding.
• Eviction Defense Network: LA-based nonprofit focused specifically on eviction defense and tenant rights for low-income renters. Comparable as a CLA-LA referral partner serving overlapping housing-insecure populations in Los Angeles County.
• Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County: Long-standing LA County legal aid nonprofit providing free civil legal services to low-income communities. Directly comparable in mission and service mix; CLA-LA refers clients to NLS for ongoing representation needs.

Regional players

• Legal Aid Society of Orange County: Orange County's primary nonprofit legal aid provider serving very low income residents with similar civil legal services (housing, family, immigration). Comparable program structure and target clients in the adjacent Southern California county where CLA-LA also recruits interns.

Broad incumbents

• Christian Legal Society: National fellowship of Christian attorneys and law students that operates the Christian Legal Aid Network of which CLA-LA is a member. Provides resources and infrastructure for faith-based legal aid clinics nationally, making it the closest network umbrella for CLA-LA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/TcLP_84gz6g

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles