Step Up To Justice

What Step Up To Justice does

Step Up To Justice is a privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit pro bono law center founded in Fall 2016 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. It provides free civil legal assistance, community education, and direct representation to low-income residents of Pima County, Arizona, in areas including housing, family law, domestic violence, consumer fraud, bankruptcy, employment, and wills/probate. The organization operates a unified service model combining legal clinics (in-person and virtual), direct representation by volunteer attorneys, and a portfolio of seven community education programs (RENT, MAPP, WORK, BEACON, Caring for Children, End of Life Planning, and Adult Guardianship) delivered in English and Spanish.

The organization is powered by a network of 280+ volunteer attorneys coordinated by a small core staff of approximately 8-10 employees, including an Executive Director, Associate Director, Program Coordinators, a Staff Attorney, and a Federal Court Clinic Coordinator. Its technology stack is minimal: LegalServer for client intake and a Squarespace-hosted website for content distribution. The organization differentiates itself from government-funded legal aid by serving clients ineligible for those programs, including undocumented individuals and people with re-entry status. It has served 12,263 applicants and conducted 4,441 client clinics between January 2017 and June 2026.

The revenue model is entirely donation-driven, with five streams: individual donations (including a $25/month "Steward" monthly giving program), corporate and foundation grants (Agnese Nelms Haury, American Bar Endowment, American College of Bankruptcy Foundation, Arizona End Of Life Care Partnership, H.S. Lopez Family Foundation, Tucson Electric Power, Cox Communications), workplace giving and employer matching, stock/securities donations, and legacy gifts. All services are provided free of charge to qualifying clients. The organization is governed by a 15+ member Board of Directors that includes sitting judges from the Arizona Supreme Court, Arizona Court of Appeals, and Arizona Superior Court in Pima County, lending institutional credibility. Strategic partners include the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Innovation for Justice (i4J), the State Bar of Arizona, the Pima County Bar Association, and multiple Arizona courts.

Name

Step Up To Justice

Legal name

Step Up to Justice

Website

https://stepuptojustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Step Up To Justice is a Tucson-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free civil legal aid, community education, and direct representation to low-income residents of Pima County, Arizona, using a volunteer attorney model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Pro bono legal services
• Civil legal aid
• Community legal education
• Volunteer attorney network
• Free legal clinics

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly 'Steward' giving program starting at $25/month, one-time donations, and annual giving. Donors receive tax deductions as SU2J is a 501(c)(3) organization. Arizona Charitable Tax Credit available up to $506 for single filers and $1,009 for joint filers.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Agnese Nelms Haury Foundation, American Bar Endowment, American College of Bankruptcy Foundation, Arizona End Of Life Care Partnership, H.S. Lopez Family Foundation, and others. Corporate sponsors include Tucson Electric Power, Cox Communications, and numerous law firms.
3. Workplace Giving and Employer Programs: Automatic payroll deductions, employer matching gift programs, and workplace giving campaigns.
4. Stock and Securities Donations: Donors can contribute appreciated stock or securities held for at least one year, receiving income deduction for current value while avoiding capital gains.
5. Legacy Gifts: Bequests from wills, retirement plan designations, or life insurance policies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Step Up To Justice provides free civil legal assistance to qualifying low-income individuals and families in Pima County, Arizona, through direct representation by volunteer attorneys, in-person and virtual legal clinics, and a portfolio of community education programs covering housing (RENT, MAPP), employment (WORK), bankruptcy (BEACON), and family/estate topics (Caring for Children, End of Life Planning, Adult Guardianship). The organization is a 501(c)(3) Pro Bono Law Center powered by volunteer attorneys and privately funded so that all eligible clients — including undocumented individuals — can be served.

Product overview

Step Up To Justice is a Pro Bono Law Center providing free civil legal services to low-income residents of Pima County, Arizona. The organization operates a unified service model combining direct legal aid (family law, housing, bankruptcy, employment, consumer protection, wills/probate), community education programs (RENT, MAPP, WORK, BEACON, Caring for Children, End of Life Planning, Adult Guardianship), and volunteer attorney coordination. Services are delivered through legal clinics for coaching and direct representation for approved clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Legal Aid Services Free non-criminal legal help including family law, housing, domestic violence, consumer fraud, bankruptcy, employment, wills/probate, and other civil matters for low-income residents of Pima County, Arizona.
• Legal Clinics In-person and virtual clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching and legal advice to self-represented clients across practice areas such as family law, housing, bankruptcy, and employment.
• Direct Representation Approved clients are assigned a volunteer attorney for full case representation throughout their legal matter, covering housing, family law, consumer, employment, and other civil cases.
• RENT (Renter Education for Neighborhoods & Tenants)

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,263 applicants served and 4,441 client clinics conducted from 2017-2026
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for RENT Project (Renter Education for Neighborhoods & Tenants). The law school collaborated on curriculum development and launch of the tenant education program.
• Innovation for Justice (i4J)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for RENT Project. i4J at University of Arizona College of Law collaborated on development and launch of the tenant education curriculum.
• Chicanos Por La CausacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on creation of RENT Project videos. Community organization helping with video production and content for tenant education materials.
• Cox CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVideo production partner for Adult Guardianship, End of Life Planning, and RENT projects. Produced educational video content for community education curriculum.
• SouthWest ContentminorOthersProduced MAPP Project videos for mobile home education content.
• Arizona Superior Court in Pima CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity funding partner providing institutional support for legal services delivery.
• Pima County Community and Workforce DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity funding partner supporting access to civil justice services.
• United States District CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity funding partner supporting Federal Court Clinic Project.
• Pima County Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association partner; connects clients with legal services and supports pro bono initiatives.
• State Bar of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllows pro bono hours with SU2J to count as CLE credit. Professional partner supporting attorney volunteerism.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Florida Legal Services: A statewide nonprofit legal aid umbrella organization that funds and coordinates civil legal aid programs across Florida. Comparable as a broader-scope nonprofit legal aid entity, though operating a funder/aggregator role rather than direct service in one county like SU2J.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Atlanta Legal Aid Society provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in metropolitan Atlanta. Comparable as a volunteer-supported civil legal aid organization serving low-income communities with similar practice areas (housing, family, consumer).
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: LAFLA is a large, established nonprofit providing free civil legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles. Comparable as a long-standing, mission-driven civil legal aid provider, though much larger in scale and scope than SU2J.

Others

• American Bar Association (Pro Bono & Public Service): ABA's pro bono programs set standards, provide resources, and recognize pro bono legal service organizations. SU2J has been formally recognized by ABA (Celebration of Pro Bono 2022), making ABA a comparable ecosystem participant and credentialing body for pro bono legal service entities.
• Pro Bono Institute: PBI is an NGO that supports pro bono legal service delivery nationally through training, resources, and recognition programs. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for pro bono legal services, though PBI operates nationally as an associational body rather than as a direct service provider like SU2J.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): NLADA is a national membership and advocacy organization for civil legal aid and public defense providers across the U.S. Comparable as a peer network association for organizations like SU2J, providing training, resources, and a peer community in the legal aid ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Community Legal Services of Arizona (CLS): CLS Arizona is a statewide LSC-funded legal aid organization providing civil legal services to low-income Arizonans. Comparable to SU2J in target population and practice areas, though operating at much greater scale and across a wider geography.
• DNA People's Legal Services: DNA People's Legal Services is a federally funded tribal/remote-area legal aid organization providing free civil legal services to low-income clients across multiple counties. It is comparable as a nonprofit legal aid provider focused on access to justice for underserved populations.
• Southern Arizona Legal Aid: Southern Arizona Legal Aid is the primary LSC-funded civil legal aid provider in Pima County, offering free civil legal services to low-income residents. It is the most direct competitor/peer in the same geography and practice areas. SU2J staff have prior experience at SALA (e.g., Staff Attorney Gary Kraft), underscoring direct organizational comparability.
• Volunteer Lawyers Project: Volunteer Lawyers Project operates pro bono legal services programs in multiple U.S. cities, leveraging volunteer attorneys to provide free civil legal services. Comparable to SU2J's volunteer-attorney-driven model and focus on serving low-income clients with civil legal needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stepuptojustice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Step Up To Justice