About Us

Since 1975 Legal Services for Children (LSC) has been providing free legal representation and social work services to children and youth in our community. LSC's mission is to ensure that all children and youth in San Francisco Bay Area have an opportunity to be raised in a safe environment with equal access to a meaningful education and the services and supports they need to become healthy and productive young adults. LSC pioneered a unique interdisciplinary approach to legal services, employing teams of attorneys and social workers to comprehensively meet the needs of our clients. LSC's team advocacy approach enables us to provide a wide spectrum of services. We represent children and youth in cases that include legal guardianship, dependency, school discipline, immigration, emancipation, and restraining order proceedings.

History

Established in 1975.

LSC is one of the first non-profit law firms in the country to provide free legal representation and social work services to children and youth.

How can LSC help you?

Expulsions are very serious. If you want a lawyer and live in the San Francisco Bay Area, LSC may be able to represent you at your hearing or help you find a free lawyer or advocate. Call LSC’s Warmline at (415) 863-3762 to find out for more information.
If you live outside of the SF Bay Area, LSC may not be able to represent you in a school discipline case.

Education Services

We believe that school discipline is a major driving force in the inequitable educational outcomes faced by low income children and children of color. We represent Bay Area students in expulsion hearings in order to ensure access to education and to work against educational inequity.

Foster Care Services

We believe all children deserve safe and stable homes and where they have access to educational and health opportunities. We represent children in foster care cases to ensure that they have the stability they need to thrive.

Immigration Services

We believe that children and youth cannot reach their full potential if they live in fear of deportation. We represent children in immigration cases to ensure that they can remain in a safe place with access to opportunity.

Our Mission

Legal Services for Children provides free representation to children and youth who require legal assistance to stabilize their lives and realize their full potential

Through a holistic team approach utilizing legal advocacy and social work services, our goal is to empower clients and actively involve them in the critical decisions that impact their lives. LSC uses this model to achieve safety and stability at home; educational success; and freedom from detention and deportation for our clients.

Our Core Values

We advocate for Bay Area children and youth to ensure:

• Safety and stability at home
• Success in school
• Freedom from deportation and detention

In a manner that:

• Is client-centered
• Builds strong, healthy relationships
• Is holistic and interdisciplinary
• Demands accountability
• Promotes social justice
• Amplifies the voice of our clients

In an organization that is:

• Committed to high standards
• Committed to diversity and cultural competency
• Committed to supporting and sustaining our staff
• Adaptable, flexible, and open to change & growth

Our Inclusion Policy:

Legal Services for Children strives to create an organization that is inclusive of all staff, clients and community. We strive to be gender-inclusive in all aspects of our work. We proactively include gender pronouns in all email signatures to ensure that all staff are able to identify the correct gender pronoun and are referred to consistently by that pronoun.