After getting nowhere with Bay Area Legal Aid, I reached out to EBCLC during the first week of January. I spoke with someone named Grace, who initially tried to send me back to Bay Area Legal Aid. I explained multiple times that I had already tried. There are at least eight different numbers that all reroute to the same line, and they do not accept walk-ins. You have to complete a phone intake first. I even went in person and was told the same thing. Grace acted like she genuinely cared. She walked me through steps to take and told me that if it didn't work, I should call her back and she would help me. I followed every step she gave me and kept her updated throughout January. By February, it took three separate attempts before she finally returned my calls. When she did, her tone was completely different. She was dismissive and told me they had more important clients to attend to. Then she referred me right back to Bay Area Legal Aid. The same place I had already explained I could not get through to. I felt upset and heartbroken. Why give someone hope and spend weeks telling them what to do if you had no real intention of helping? I made it clear that I had no other point of contact, which is why I had been reaching out consistently, but she said there was nothing she could do and referred me somewhere else again. This experience was frustrating, time consuming, and discouraging. I would not recommend this organization to anyone seeking real help or follow-through. read more

This is not a law center. This is merely a forum to chat about being illegally evicted. They do not handle any laws other than eviction and they actively hang up on anyone who needs help with discrimination, threats, stalking, injury, or ALMOST eviction. Find someone who has actual lawyers, knows the law, and that the law is not just evictions. read more

I was renting the same place for 20 years and the property was foreclosed on and the new owners tried to evict me so I contacted East Bay Community Law Center and an attorney Mark Janowitz tool the case free of charge and got me three extra months for free plus $25,000 dollars cash for keys. He was very helpful and professional. read more

I had a terrible and complex housing problem. I went to them for help. I thought I'd be able to talk to an experienced housing lawyer. They ONLY let you ask your (very complicated) questions through an intern. Who writes a brief description down. Takes it into the lawyer who answers briefly, often not addressing the true problem. Sometimes you get a sympathetic intern but you never get to interact with a lawyer. With such a huge communication breakdown, along with such high stakes for the tenant, I can't even give them and E for effort. My intern had a very thick french accent making it near impossible to communicate in this already challenging way. They will not write a legal letter for you or represent you, unless it is a class action suit. If you are a solitary low income tenant or family looking for help with a problem landlord, they are not very helpful. Their organization looks great as a community service non profit, on paper and allows law interns some 'light' law experience but lets down the low income community in most every way. They can only give rudimentary information on tenants rights, eviction laws and lists of lawyers who will do a habitability lawsuit. All these are on paper handouts. I tested the lawyer list: out of the 40 habitability lawyers on the list only 1 called back. read more

Just wonderful. Hard working, knowledgeable and care deeply about social justice. I don't have enough positive things to say about this place. The students are caring, detailed and through. Very helpful. They are deeply invested in leveling the playing field for those in a lower socioeconomic group regardless of ethnicity or any isms that contribute to poverty. Thank you so much for all you do! read more

Gracie Jones at the ebcl center does not return calls or answer her telephone , just like most , not all, alameda social services case workers. same m.o. Then they cherry pick who they want to serve, and who they want to give a referral, which means if your low income the referal lawyer will take a fee. After you call them on this for lack of response, and call backs. After multiple attempts and messages left, they say ohh, were booked at this time. You could have said this earlier and not passed on my case. Or you could have said you might want to try back at this time. Nope totally bias behavior. Get rid of gracie jones, she is a waste of space. I heard of others getting represented for same or smaller issues, but they passed me on a referral after many attempts to talk to someone for my situation. Questionable organization does tax payer dollars go here? read more

folks who believe in the right of each person to have dignity and to have their rights defended...and who work to defend those rights. This place is phenomenal and offers free legal services People who can't afford legal representation and have issues in the areas housing, benefits, expungement of their records, and HIV can get free assistance here. read more

Again and again, from person after person, I was told that Osha Neuman was the Go-to Social Justice Lawyer. So I did. The first time, he said he was just unaware of what a Void Judgment even is, much less how to undertake an action to have one quashed and removed from record. Said I knew more about it than he. And even though the Law student helping him took an interest in my case and offered to at least help me with some research, apparently he didn't allow that. Some time later, he began to work with me on two other matters, as did one of the other "managing attorney's (not stident). However, after an inordinate amount of time passed - crucial time for the cases - he (and she) simply told me they were declining to represent me. No reason stated. She did so after even having sent a letter to a person which probably warned the party before I wanted to. And if any letter was to be sent, it should've been the one we wrote together. I always retain copies of all legal documents. It took repeated efforts to get her to supply some things. Well, when I finally saw the letter she sent, I understood her reluctance for me to see it. It wasn't the one we'd drafted. I would have never allowed that one. And she supposedly jyst 'lost some thing else. After months of stalling, run around and such fiascos, to have them then just drop everything felt like some kind of sabotage. And the valuable time to act was lost and irretrievable. read more

I heard about the Worker's Rights Clinic on Thursdays 6:30-8PM and came here to get some legal advice regarding my employment. I arrived at 6:15PM to fill out a short form about what I came here for, and I was paired up right at 6:30 to talk to one of the law students. He figured out my situation right away, and after talking to his supervisor, explained to me all the legal mumbo-jumbo I was dealing with, and outlined for me my courses of action. I was out of there in less than an hour and had all the information I needed to go forward with my case. Quick, professional, and willing to answer all of my questions! The attorneys-at-training and law students working here are great. If you ever have questions about work-related problems, this is the place to go! The Law Center is an especially important resource to Berkeley students and people who are at risk of being exploited in their workplace. The services come at no cost and aside from the clinics, you can call in to make an appointment. It is a bit far from campus for most students, but transportation (bus and BART) run right around the corner. There is no excuse! read more

This review is specifically to acknowledge the compassionate and wise support of Hai Dao, one of EBCL's supervising attorneys. I went in for their basic service to get help responding to a housing issue, and, after learning of my particular circumstances, Hai volunteered to pick up my case and represent me. I can't say enough about Hai. He did an excellent job handling my case and gave me great advice about how to move forward. I loved working with him and would highly recommend him to anyone who needs an attorney for housing issues. read more

Legalized extortion that cost my family over 10k. We'll be taking this rent-controlled unit off the market now that we've gone through this. One less apartment in Oakland. We hope you're proud of that "help" you just did for the community. read more

I could get past the people who answer the phone. No one seems to know what to do or who does what. Needed some advise but they just made me go back and forth. Total waste of time read more

basically this service organization helps low income people with legal issues. my experience was not good. i am learning disabled, have ptss, am a former abuse victim, a former abuser with a criminal record. i am also chronically ill. but i am abuse and arrest free for 25 years. in 2006 this org had a "summit" at Laney college. i assumed that because i am born in Oakland and have lived/owned property in Oakland that i qualified for legal help. it turns out that they only help Alameda county residents and some Contra Costa County residents, but not me even though i live in Contra Costa County. they lead me to believe that would help me with other charges in SF & CCC. not so! they should change the name to Alameda and Parts of Contra Costa Couty Law Center! i live in Antioch which is refered to as east county. so just be aware that you may go to a free clean slate clinic they operate and be made promises about legal help that they will not provide. that's what happened to me and it actually caused me more problems in my personal life than i had before i became a "client". they helped a little then strung me along and ultimately told me that i was on my own even though i cannot secure legal help because i am low income! i am a honest, hard working, active in my community, a Red Cross & American Cancer Society volunteer. i may be adhd but east bay is east bay! i know this is not your typical service but i want people to avoid the prolonged and ultimately disapointing experience i am having! even former criminals have the right to fair treatment. i have paid my debt to society in spades!!! all is not lost! i finally had all criminal charges expunged!! the 1 bus & professions code in alameda county was done fast well. by ebclc the several other felonies and lesser charges were done piecemeal 1 charge at a time by me. i hounde the probation depts and mr dave d. (courthouse resourse) anyone looking the hire a cronically ill 54 year old abuse surviror? read more