Legal Assistance

211 San Mateo County – Operated by United Way of the Bay Area

211 in San Mateo County can help you find food, housing, health care, senior services, child care,
legal aid and more. 211 is free, confidential, multilingual, and available 24/7. If you are facing a
challenge or need social service information, call 211 today. Can’t dial 211?

Call 800-273-6222 or visit www.211BayArea.org

Free and Low-Cost Legal and Mediation Services
If you have a legal problem, you may need to speak to an attorney. Many services have eligibility requirements. Call first to see if you meet qualifications for service.

Bay Area Legal Aid
2287 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo
http://www.baylegal.org
800-551-5554 or 650-472-2666 (San Mateo office)

Legal Aid Society
521 E. 5th Ave., San Mateo
http://www.legalaidsmc.org
800-381-8898 or 558-0915

San Mateo County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
(Lawyer Referral - Legal Specialties)
333 Bradford St., 2nd Fl., Redwood City
http://www.smcba.org
650-369-4149

Private Defender Program
(Criminal Defense)
333 Bradford St., 2nd Fl., Redwood City 94063
https://www.smcba.org/For%20the%20Public/CommunityServicePrograms.aspx
650-298-4000

Stanford Community Law Clinic
2117-A University Ave., East Palo Alto 94303
http://www.law.stanford.edu/clinics/sclc/
650-475-0560

La Raza Centro Legal
(includes immigration related matters)
474 Valencia St. Suite 295 , San Francisco, CA 94103
http://www.lrcl.org
415-575-3500

Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC)
(mediation)
1660 S. Amphlett Blvd. #219, San Mateo, CA
http://www.pcrcweb.org
650-513-0330

Multi-Option Appropriate Dispute Resolution Project (MAP)
(alternative dispute resolution or ADR)
650-599-1070
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/adr

• Family Law ADR (599-1238)
• General Civil ADR (363-1962)
• Judicial Arbitration (363-4896)
• San Mateo County Juvenile Mediation Program (312-5269)
• Small Claims Mediation (573-3907)

Employment Discrimination and Legal Issues

California State Department of Fair Employment and Housing
(Investigates complaints of discrimination and harassment complaints)
1515 Clay St., #701, Oakland 94612
http://www.dfeh.ca.gov
800-884-1684

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
(investigates employment discrimination)
350 The Embarcadero, #500, San Francisco 94105
http://www.eeoc.gov
800-669-4000 or 415-625-5609

Equal Rights Advocates
(legal services for women and girls - sex discrimination in employment and education)
1663 Mission St., #250, San Francisco 94103
http://www.equalrights.org
800-839-4372 or 415-621-0672

Labor Standards Enforcement
(complaints regarding unpaid wages)
100 Paseo de San Antonio, Room 120
San Jose, CA 95113
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse
408-277-1266

Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center
180 Montgomery Street, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94104
http://www.las-elc.org
415-864-8848

Multicultural Institute
(Legal assistance for laborers - North Fair Oaks)
http://www.mionline.org
650-339-2794

Family Law Issues

Family Law Facilitators
(family law services to help people with no private attorney)
400 County Center, 2nd. Fl., Redwood City 94063
1050 Mission Rd. South San Francisco 94080
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/self_help/contact_us.php
650-363-4191

San Mateo County Department of Child Support Services
(establishes and enforces child support orders)
555 County Center, 2nd Fl., Redwood City 94063
http://www.smcdcss.com
(866) 901-3212

Family Court Services
(for parents involved in the Family Court process)
400 County Center, 6th Fl., Redwood City 94063
1050 Mission Rd., South San Francisco 94080
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/court_divisions/family_court_services/
650-363-4561

Housing Discrimination

Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing
457 Kingsley Avenue, Palo Alto 94301
www.echofairhousing.org
650-327-1718

Project Sentinel
430 Sherman Avenue, Suite 308, Palo Alto 94306
www.housing.org
650-321-6291 or 888-324-7468

California State Department of Fair Employment and Housing
1515 Clay St., #701, Oakland 94612
http://www.dfeh.ca.gov
800-233-3212 or 510-622-2941

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
S. San Francisco
350 C Street
South San Francisco 94080
http://www.hud.gov
650-583-7631

Immigration Law and Services

Immigrant Assistance Line
Spanish / English 415-543-6767
Chinese 415-543-6769

International Institute of the Bay Area
2600 Middlefield Rd
Redwood City 94063
http://www.iisf.org
650-780-7530

La Raza Centro Legal (see information in first section)

National Immigration Law Center
405 14th St. Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612
http://www.nilc.org/
510-663-8282

Legal Assistance for Seniors

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
(lawyer referral service and advocacy)
650 Harrison Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107
http://www.canhr.org
1-800-474-1116

Family Caregiver Alliance
(legal/financial consultation and other services for caregivers)
180 Montgomery St, Ste 900, San Francisco, CA 94104
http://www.caregiver.org
1-800-445-8106 or 1-415-434-3388

San Mateo County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (see contact information in first section)

Legal Aid Society Senior Advocates
(legal advice and assistance to eligible low-income senior residents)
The Natalie Lanam Justice Center
521 East 5th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94402
http://www.legalaidsmc.org
650-558-0915

Violence and Abuse Issues

Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA)
(bi-lingual 24 hour hotline, legal services and more)
P.O. Box 5090
San Mateo 94402
www.CORAsupport.org
650-312-8515 or 800-300-1080

Bay Area Legal Aid (see contact info. in first section)

Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County (see contact info. in first section

San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office / Victim Center
(assistance for crime victims - information and referral, emergency assistance and crisis intervention)
400 County Center, Third Floor
Redwood City 94063
650-599-7479
http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/portal/site/districtattorney/menuitem.73ac3...

Domestic Violence Restraining Order Clinic
(helps fill out the forms to request a Domestic Violence Restraining Order)
707 Bradford St., Redwood City 94063
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/self_help/dv_restraining_order_clinic.php
650-701-0850

Other Law-Related Services

San Mateo County Law Library
(access to legal materials – open to the public)
710 Hamilton St.,
Redwood City, CA 94063
www.smcll.org
650-363-4913

San Mateo County Courts
General Information - http://www.sanmateocourt.org
Legal Forms - http://www.sanmateocourt.org/forms_and_filing/

Small Claims Advisory Workshop
(brief consultations, written resources, possible alternatives)
800 N. Humboldt St., San Mateo 94401
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/court_divisions/small_claims/advisor.php
650-363-4304