Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)

What Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) does

Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) is a Palestinian non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1989 (with some sources citing 1974) and headquartered in Ramallah, Palestine. It provides free legal aid, representation, and strategic public interest litigation to poor and marginalized Palestinian communities facing human rights violations by Israeli occupation authorities and the Palestinian Authority. Services are delivered through four physical offices (Ramallah, East Jerusalem, Salfit, and Nablus), mobile legal clinics in the northern West Bank, and a 300+ volunteer network organized under the Human Rights Defenders Movement.

JLAC's core products are human-services offerings rather than technology products: individual legal representation, strategic litigation (including petitions to the Israeli High Court and Palestinian High Court), the KARAMA Campaign on freedom of movement, and a suite of educational publications (factsheets, legal papers, reports, documentaries, podcasts). Supporting assets include a "Know Your Legal Rights" FAQ portal and a Twitter presence (@AdvocacyJlac). The technology layer is minimal — described in the input as a "legal aid services platform" with no enumerated proprietary features, no APIs, and no AI/ML components.

The business model is donor-funded grant-based revenue, not commercial. JLAC charges beneficiaries nothing; all services are free at point of use. Funding comes from international development agencies and foundations including the European Union, Norwegian Refugee Council, EED/Brot für die Welt, UNDP, Irish Aid, CAFOD, Spanish Cooperation, and the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat. Documented 2017 grants totaled approximately $2M+ when converted to USD, with major multi-year commitments (EU 2016-2019, EED 2016-2018) indicating program-based, restricted funding rather than unrestricted core support. Headcount is reported at 10 employees, with governance provided by a Board of Directors chaired by Amin Inabi and a General Assembly expanded to 29 members in 2016.

Name

Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)

Legal name

Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center

Website

https://jlac.ps

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JLAC is a Palestinian non-profit legal aid and human rights organization providing free representation, strategic litigation, and policy advocacy to marginalized Palestinian communities facing violations by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, funded by international donors and operating across four West Bank and East Jerusalem offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Human rights advocacy
• Public interest litigation
• Human rights defenders
• Community legal clinics

Headquarters

HQ city

Ramallah

HQ country

Palestinian Territories

HQ region

Middle East

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding and Grants: JLAC is primarily funded through international donors, development agencies, and foundations that provide grants for core programming and specific projects related to human rights legal aid, protection of vulnerable Palestinians, settler violence interventions, and Palestinian Authority violations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JLAC provides free legal aid, representation, and public-interest litigation to vulnerable Palestinian communities facing human rights violations by Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority. Services are delivered through four branch offices and mobile legal clinics and include case adoption, court representation, petitions to Israeli and Palestinian courts, and a 300+ volunteer Human Rights Defenders Movement that conducts monitoring and grassroots legal awareness.

Product overview

JLAC offers a comprehensive suite of legal aid and human rights services through its network of offices in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Salfit, and Nablus, along with mobile legal clinics across the northern West Bank. The core offering combines individual legal representation with strategic public interest litigation targeting systemic violations. Key programs include the Human Rights Defenders Movement (youth volunteer network), the KARAMA Freedom of Movement Campaign, and the Know Your Legal Rights FAQ Portal. JLAC also produces publications including factsheets, legal papers, studies, reports, documentaries, and podcasts. All services target poor and marginalized groups affected by Israeli occupation policies and Palestinian Authority violations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KARAMA Campaign: A public and national campaign aimed at promoting the independence of Palestinians, alleviating their suffering while travelling within and outside of Palestine, and ensuring their freedom and dignity. Registered as official Palestinian NGO under reference RA-22787-HR.
• Human Rights Defenders Movement

Products and services

• Legal Representation Services Free legal aid and representation services for Palestinian victims of human rights violations, including case adoption, court representation, and legal consultations delivered across JLAC's office locations in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Salfit, and Nablus.
• Public Interest Litigation Strategic litigation on public interest cases affecting Palestinian communities, including challenges to discriminatory regulations, planning policies, and systemic human rights violations before Israeli and Palestinian courts.
• Mobile Legal Clinics Outreach legal services delivered through mobile clinics in the northern West Bank, bringing legal consultations and case intake to marginalized Palestinian communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,757 beneficiaries received legal services through Jerusalem office in 2014
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLAC plays active role in PNGO Network and sought candidacy for membership in Coordinating Committee. Contributes to organizational development and protection of NGO sector independence.
• Palestinian Human Rights Organizations CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLAC maintains significant secretariat role. Council represents voices of 12 Palestinian human rights organizations and issues joint position papers.
• Coalition for JerusalemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition addressing occupation practices in Jerusalem, though activity level declined in 2014.
• Society of St YvesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman rights organization partnering with JLAC on petition to Israeli High Court regarding discriminatory planning policies in Area C.
• Rabbis for Human RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsraeli human rights organization partnering with JLAC on petition to Israeli High Court regarding Area C planning policies.
• ICHADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in coalition petition to Israeli High Court demanding cancellation of Military Order 418.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• B'Tselem: B'Tselem is the most established Israeli human rights organization documenting occupation violations. While broader in scope (documentation vs. individual legal aid) and Israeli-led, it operates in the same West Bank/East Jerusalem legal environment and frequently litigates overlapping issues.
• HaMoked (Center for the Defence of the Individual): HaMoked is an Israeli human rights organization focused on East Jerusalem residents' rights, including residency, family reunification, and imprisonment issues. It directly overlaps with JLAC's Jerusalem office caseload and pursues similar Israeli High Court petitions.
• Human Rights Watch (Middle East Division): Human Rights Watch is a global incumbent conducting international human rights research and advocacy on Israel/Palestine. While it does not provide direct legal aid like JLAC, it shares donor pools and operates in overlapping legal and policy domains as a major sector voice.

Direct peers

• Al-Haq: Al-Haq is a leading Palestinian human rights organization based in Ramallah that documents violations and pursues legal advocacy, sharing JLAC's geographic focus, donor base, and Palestinian NGO Network affiliation.
• Society of St Yves: Society of St Yves is a Jerusalem-based Catholic human rights organization providing legal aid on residency, social rights, and planning issues — directly comparable to JLAC's Jerusalem office work and an active litigation partner.
• Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association: Addameer provides legal aid and advocacy specifically for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, directly overlapping JLAC's political detention and prisoner rights work, and is a co-member of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council.
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR): PCHR is a Gaza-based Palestinian human rights organization providing legal aid, documentation, and litigation. It shares JLAC's donor mix, NGO coalition membership, and human rights legal aid mandate, though focused on Gaza rather than the West Bank.
• Gisha — Center for the Legal Protection of Freedom of Movement: Gisha focuses on freedom of movement for Palestinians — directly aligning with JLAC's KARAMA Campaign — and pursues legal action and litigation on Gaza/West Bank access issues within the same operating environment.
• Al Mezan Center for Human Rights: Al Mezan is another prominent Palestinian human rights organization with legal aid programs, overlapping with JLAC in mandate, donor base (international development agencies), and coalition affiliations.

Emerging players

• Rabbis for Human Rights: Rabbis for Human Rights is an Israeli NGO pursuing legal advocacy on West Bank and Area C planning and human rights issues. JLAC has actively partnered with them on Israeli High Court petitions, indicating comparable caseload focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AdvocacyJlac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jerusalem-legal-aid-and-human-rights-center-jlac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)