The New Business Community Law Clinic has closed as of 6/30/24.
Here are some resources for Bay Area and Central Valley businesses who need legal help but cannot afford an attorney.
For Bay Area Businesses
San Francisco Lawyers Committee’s Legal Services for Entrepreneurs
East Bay Community Law Center’s Economic Justice Clinic
Sustainable Economies Law Center
Primary focus: starting cooperatives, converting businesses to cooperatives, and forming nonprofits and social ventures. Free community workshops are also regularly offered (Resilient Communities Legal Cafes), teaching and counseling as to such issues as for-profit and nonprofit entity formation, employment law, tax law, and contracts. Check the calendar for upcoming events.
For Central Valley Businesses
A new nonprofit New Business Community Law Clinic, not affiliated with Berkeley Law, will continue to provide free legal help to Central Valley businesses in collaboration with Valley-based community partners. Anyone needing assistance who cannot afford an attorney can sign up for the following services:
- 45-minute free confidential legal consultations with an attorney and a student associate
- Free legal workshops on common legal issues
- Nonprofit academy: a regular series of two-hour coaching sessions for starting a nonprofit tax exempt organization
There are also services with the clinic through its Valley partners:
Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation
Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative
Fresno State Office of Economic Development Women’s Entrepreneur Center