At one time or another we will all need some legal help. This page is a compilation of some of the many resources available.
Legal Resources
Small Claims Court
Small Claims Court is a means for individuals to seek redress for their civil grievances without the costs of an attorney. In small claims actions, neither party may bring an attorney—you're representing yourself. In California, small claims court is only available for claims where no more than $7,500 is in dispute—although the court can award more than that as punitive damages. The winning party can also often recover the costs they incurred on the suit (e.g. the filing fee).
Self-Help/Free Resources
There are a lot of resources available to help you address your own legal problems at little or no cost. Bear in mind that the law is incredibly complex, and it's a big risk to represent yourself. On the other hand, attorneys are extremely expensive. If you're retaining a lawyer for a civil suit that you are filing, you will probably be looking at a contingency fee—rather than charging you on an hourly basis, the lawyer will keep typically between 30% and 40% of whatever you get out of the case. The advantage of this system is that the lawyer will usually foot all of the costs—filing fees, hiring mediators, process servers, yadda, yadda, so the case costs you nothing unless you win.
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Legal Services of Northern California provides free legal services in the areas of public benefits, housing (eviction defense, fair housing, general landlord/tenant law), consumer protection (debt collection defense, creditor harassment, contract disputes, identity theft, foreclosure prevention), employment, education (suspension and expulsion defense and special education rights) and simple estate planning for low income people earning less than 200% of federal poverty level and seniors over 60 who live in Yolo County. They are located in Woodland at 619 North Street.
![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png)
http://lsnc.net/
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Undergraduate students get a free 15 minutes of legal time per quarter as part of their ASUCD fees.
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Graduate students Do not currently receive complimentary legal aid through UCD. This service has unfortunately ended and will be discontinued indefinitely.
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The Law Library at King Hall is open to the public. It's an excellent resource. Anyone can check out non-Reserve books. Parking is free on the weekends, but you need a UCD parking permit/visitor permit ($6/day as of 2010) during the week. There are tons of bike racks handy, though. Outside of academic hours, you'll need to use the entrance at the northwest of the building.
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The Sacramento County public law library is located in downtown Sacramento at 8th & I in the old Hall of Justice, right across the street from the Amtrak station. Meter parking is available nearby; on weekdays, there's valet parking in the basement of the building ($2 per half hour, $20 max for the day). Diagonally across I Street is another private parking garage ($1.50/half hour, $18 max. It closes at 6pm, so if you leave after that, it's free. They also have an early bird special, $10 for the day if you're in by 8am).
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The Yolo County Law Library is in Woodland at 204 4th Street. It is open 9:30am-3:30pm Monday through Friday.
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Yolo County has an excellent compilation of useful web resources, available
here.
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The California Courts system has a variety of self-help resources. Most of them are compiled
here.
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(I'll be gradually filling this out with some of the self-help clinics, law libraries, referral services, etc. in the area)
Attorneys and Law Firms
There are a lot of lawyers out there, some of them good, some of them not. It can be daunting, trying to pick one. The best way to find a good lawyer is through the California State Bar website — Legal Specialists search. Go to www.calbar.ca.gov, click on "Legal Specialists" on the left, and then under Consumers, click on "find a specialist." State Bar specialists must take and pass a difficult exam in their field of specialty, and must also keep updated in their field in order to maintain their certification. The next best way is to ask another lawyer in that particular field — perhaps a certified specialist from out of town. One can also look at "Super Lawyers" which is a peer recommended and vetted website. Finally, you can find a lawyer through word of mouth—if folks have had a good experience with a lawyer, that's sometimes a good sign, but peer recommendation is better. You can also look to a California Bar Association-approved referral service. They'll set you up with an initial consultation with a lawyer (in good standing with the bar association - though any lawyer can sign up for the referral service, competency is not a requirement) in your area who practices in the field of law you need. Different referral services have different fees, but a typical system is $30 for the referral, which will guaranteed you a 30-minute consult at no additional cost. After that, additional time with the lawyer will generally require you to sign a fee agreement.
As a general rule, stay away from lawyers who advertise on television or billboards.
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Yolo County Resources - lawyer listings and referrals
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State Bar Resources - lawyer referral services
Aviation
Bankruptcy
Business
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Raphael Moore at Moore and Moore Attorneys at Law - service include employment, business purchase & sales, negotiations, corporations & LLCs, partnerships, contract drafting, leases, buy & sell agreements, etc.
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Lowenthal Law Office Attorney for the inspired. Representing entrepreneurs, investors and business owners in Davis and Yolo County.
Civil Rights
Criminal
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David Smith, Attorney at Law — including Juvenile and expungement
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Law Office of Donald Beury —including Juvenile
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Richard Glen Boire — criminal expungement and appeals
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Law Office of Christopher Cannon — including Juvenile and expungement
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Richard Lansburgh — including Juvenile
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Steven Sabbadini — including Juvenile
Employment
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Lowenthal Law Office Comprehensive labor, employment and human resources practice.
Estate Planning and Probate: Wills, Trusts, Powers of Appointment, Health Care
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Lowenthal Law Office Personalized wills, trusts, estate and asset protection plans. We help you plan now to save later. ARAG members welcome!
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Raphael Moore at Moore and Moore Attorneys at Law - services include wills, trusts, health care directives, powers of attorney, nominations of guardian for minor children
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Alex Wyman
http://EstateLawCA.com We listen, we explain, we personalize. UCD Legal Insurance
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Law Office of Raquel M. Silva at
http://www.silva-familylaw.com - ARAG legal insurance accepted, wills, trusts, heath care directives, powers of attorney, and guardianship proceedings
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JLB Law Offices
http://www.jlblawoffices.com Special Pricing for Seniors and ARAG Members (Non-Network Attorney). Member of WealthCounsel, LLC.
Family Law
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Pakpour Family Law - divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, visitation, alimony, paternity, domestic violence, etc.
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Law Office of Raquel M. Silva at
http://www.silva-familylaw.com - services include dissolution of marriage, RDPs, child custody, child & spousal support, paternity, and step/second parent adoptions
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Alex Wyman
http://EstateLawCA.com Prenups, Postnups, "No-nups" (moving in together) LGBT, UCD Legal Insurance
LGBT
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Law Office of Raquel M. Silva at
http://www.silva-familylaw.com - services include dissolution of same-sex marriages, RDPs, child custody, child & spousal support, second parent adoptions, estate planning
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Alex Wyman
http://EstateLawCA.com/LGBT.htm Estate Planning for ALL Families, Wills, Trusts, Prenups, Stepparent Adoptions
Immigration
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Raphael Moore at Moore and Moore Attorneys at Law in downtown Davis - services include naturalization & citizenship, business visas, changes of status, adjustments, asylum, marriage & family visas, and labor certifications
Injury
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Lowenthal Law Office Free, no obligation consultations.
Intellectual Property
General Civil Litigation
Real Estate
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Lowenthal Law Office Comprehensive real estate practice by attorney and real estate broker.
Taxes
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Lowenthal Law Office Strategic planning for businesses and individuals.
Departed Firms
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Blackmon & Associates — including appeals and professional licensing
