Bay Area Legal Services (BALS)

Bay Area Legal Services (BALS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families across seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. BALS offers a comprehensive range of services, including legal advice, referrals, limited scope assistance, extended representation, public policy and impact advocacy, trainings, outreach, and community education. The organization focuses on several priority areas identified by clients and the community as the most pressing: domestic violence prevention, housing preservation, access to health care, and economic security. Through its regional county offices, mobile advocacy clinics, and nationally recognized Legal Advice Line, BALS helps clients protect their livelihoods, health, and families, ensuring fairness in the civil justice system for the most vulnerable members of the community.