Success Stories
Perseverance: One Client’s Journey Towards a Fully Favorable SSI Decision
Submitted by Esther Gomez, Staff Paralegal, Public Benefits Unit Tracy (fictitious name) is a 44-year-old woman who suffers from hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes painful [Continue Reading]
Eviction Defense for a Disabled Client
By Terea Williams, Registered Legal Aid Attorney An eviction, unlawful detainer case is an extremely stressful experience for a client, and even more so when they do not have the [Continue Reading]
Advising and Representing a Client in Debt Collection
By Melina Fuentes, Staff Paralegal Our client Massimo Vega (fictitious name) is 54-year-old non-literate monolingual Spanish speaker who works as a caregiver for his sickly wife. Jefferson Capital, a third-party [Continue Reading]
Three Short Stories of Advocacy for Survivors of Domestic Violence
By Roxanne Hernandez, Staff Attorney -One- I was assisting my client Patricia (fictitious name) with a legal separation, and we needed to file and serve an Amended Petition for Dissolution. [Continue Reading]
Perseverance, Through the Years
By Cheryl Bigos, Senior Attorney Clarissa (fictitious name) was born in Egypt where she worked as an anesthesiologist. In 2012 she met and married her husband, Joe (fictitious name), and [Continue Reading]
Taking Thorough Action for Health Consumer
by Sara Lee, Supervising Attorney, Health Unit Our client Russell (fictitious name) is a recipient of Medi-Cal and received his services from Orange County Mental Health Plan (OC MHP). He [Continue Reading]
Working Towards a Favorable Decision
When Teresa (fictitious name) came to Community Legal Aid SoCal in August of 2022, she was a 55-year-old immigrant from Mexico whose education ended at 4th grade. She was recently [Continue Reading]
Making a Positive Impact for a Veteran Facing Eviction
Housing Unit client Alan Jackson (center) surrounded by Housing Unit staff attorneys Efrain Partida and Sunny Park (left) and Housing Unit staff paralegal Pafracio Vallente (right) From the [Continue Reading]
Clearing the Credit Record of a Senior Targeted for a Scam
Darleen McClintock (fictitious name) is a senior citizen who survives on her retirement savings under strict budget constraints. She is careful to live within her limited resources, watching free TV [Continue Reading]
Records Expungement Helped Me to Change My Life
By Gavin Montague, former client From 2009-2015, I was arrested and convicted of more than six cases, including possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia, and even sales of drugs. I was [Continue Reading]
Defending a Victim of ID Theft and Fraud
By Andrew Deeley, Supervising Attorney, Consumer Defense Unit Approximately 11 years ago our client Becky (fictitious name) was a victim domestic violence. Her former boyfriend, Sam (fictitious name), was verbally abusive, [Continue Reading]
From the Family Law Unit Case Files…
The client, Linda Lopez (fictitious name), is a monolingual Spanish speaker who did everything she could to do right by her five minor children. Deciding that she and her children [Continue Reading]
