Standing with San Mateo County families since 1959
Our Mission & Vision
We believe our entire community is stronger when everyone has a home, economic security, and essential public services. We use the law to make the social safety net work for everyone. Our work makes San Mateo County a more just and equitable place to live.
We represent clients as they navigate complex legal systems.
We empower people to advocate for themselves.
We fix broken systems through policy change.
We envision a San Mateo County with equitable access to resources for all; strong legal representation that helps people obtain stable housing, health care, education, economic security, immigration status, protection from abuse, and family stability; and laws, policies, and practices that ensure lasting social justice.
Who Do We Help?
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Legal Aid provides free civil legal services that help overcome legal barriers to life's basics. Our clients are vulnerable children, disadvantaged families, frail seniors, survivors of domestic violence and persons with disabilities who reside in San Mateo County. Last year we opened more than 2,000 cases, and our clients had a median income of just over $21,000. Median income of San Mateo County is $105,667. Please contact us at 650-558-0915 for more information.
Operations & Impact
Executive Director
M. Stacey Hawver, Stanford Law School 1987
Tax ID Information
ID #94-1451894
Registered as a 501(c)(3) organization in the state of California
Impact Reports
Our annual impact report is a snapshot of our organization’s yearly activities. We are proud to highlight our clients, employees, and volunteers to provide a look at the impact of the work we do on a daily basis.
Our History
In 1959, Legal Aid SMC is founded by members of the San Mateo County Bar Association and the San Mateo County Superior Court to provide free civil legal services to low-income residents of San Mateo county who are particularly vulnerable due to age, disability, language or family violence.
Since then, we have helped hundreds of thousands through the years. Click below to look back at the milestones that have made Legal Aid SMC the valuable community resource it is today.
Policy Advocacy
From tenant protections for mobile home park residents to medically necessary services for children with autism spectrum disorder, Legal Aid attorneys advocate for meaningful policy changes that impact the lives of our clients. We use our own data to look for trends and emerging legal issues facing our clients; learning from policies that work, and identifying systems that can be improved. We share this information with local and state level decision makers, and advocate for changes that close gaps, improve efficiency, and provide essential services to our clients.
Alan Hodes Receiving Legal Aid SMC’s 2024 Dorothy M. Wolfe Award in honor of his Pro Bono work.
Pro Bono
Legal Aid SMC works in partnership with over 30 law firms and corporate counsel in Silicon Valley. We have 400 volunteers providing thousands of pro bono hours annually, representing clients who would otherwise be without legal representation. Legal Aid provides malpractice insurance, training materials, and on-going support for all pro bono volunteers. We welcome attorneys, paralegals, law students and emeritus attorneys who want to make a direct impact on the lives of low income residents of the San Mateo community by providing meaningful access to justice. Legal Aid's Pro Bono Program is managed by Stephanie Bilinski, Director of Pro Bono, sbilinski@legalaidsmc.org or (650) 517-8912.