Community Counsel

At Community Counsel, we stand with our community to protect rights, preserve independence, and promote dignity. Through accessible, free legal services, we help individuals and families navigate life’s most critical moments with clarity and strength.

Founded in 2017 as Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, our organization was created to fill a critical gap in access to justice in Orange County. Our founders recognized that seniors, people with disabilities, and other historically marginalized communities often had nowhere to turn for affordable, high-quality legal representation. We responded by launching Orange County’s first sliding-scale legal services model for those unable to afford private counsel for estate planning and elder rights. We also focused free services for those with little to no income to combat homelessness and disability rights violations, and collaborated across systems to advance both immediate and long-term solutions.
Over the past nearly 10 years, including through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our small but dedicated team has represented low-income and underserved community members in estate planning, conservatorships, elder abuse, public benefits, housing disability accommodations, special education advocacy, medical rights, and civil rights matters. Our impact litigation has helped transform homeless and disability services locally, while maintaining a steadfast focus on justice for those with the greatest need.
In 2026, we updated our name to Community Counsel to better reflect the breadth of our work and our deep commitment to community-centered advocacy. Today, we advance civil rights, disability justice, and future planning by bringing legal services directly into trusted spaces such as schools, hospitals, courts, and faith communities. By centering dignity, lived experience, and trauma-informed care, we fight for meaningful, lasting change.

Since launching in 2017 as Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, our small but deeply committed team of attorneys, advocates, and volunteers has served thousands of severely disenfranchised individuals through community outreach, direct representation, and impact litigation. We have helped families preserve homes and assets that might otherwise have been lost, supporting opportunities for long-term stability and generational security. We have protected older adults from mental, physical, and financial abuse so they can live with greater autonomy and dignity. We have also worked to remove barriers to housing and held public systems accountable, helping expand shelter access and strengthen civil rights protections for people experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

In the past year alone, we have supported hundreds of shelter residents in their paths toward permanent housing by ensuring access to case management, housing navigation, and disability accommodations. Our advocacy has reinforced due process protections within shelter systems and secured meaningful accountability when rights were violated. In one major impact case, we protected the property rights of people experiencing homelessness by ending unlawful confiscation and destruction of personal belongings. We also held housing providers accountable for disability discrimination, securing compensation for a senior client and mandating systemic disability rights training.

Our future planning services have grown rapidly, helping hundreds of community members establish advance health care directives, powers of attorney, and conservatorships to protect themselves and their loved ones.

In 2026, we became Community Counsel — a name that reflects both our growth and our enduring commitment to community-centered advocacy. As we expand, we remain focused on strengthening infrastructure, deepening partnerships, and pursuing strategic litigation while sustaining the direct services that remain the heart of our work.

The need for accessible legal advocacy in Orange County continues to grow, particularly for low-income individuals, seniors, people with disabilities, and those experiencing housing instability. Many residents face complex legal challenges with life-altering consequences, yet too often have nowhere to turn for trusted, affordable representation. As Community Counsel, we see these needs intensifying across civil rights, disability justice, housing stability, and future planning. Too many people still fall through systemic gaps simply because they lack an informed advocate.
Our mission is grounded in ensuring that no one is left without support when their rights, stability, or dignity are at stake. As demand increases, the greatest opportunity for impact lies in expanding access — not only through our direct services, but by strengthening the broader ecosystem of community-centered legal support. We are focused on deepening our partnerships with trusted community institutions and bringing legal services directly into the spaces where people already seek help, including shelters, schools, faith communities, and medical settings.
A key priority is expanding our pro bono network. By engaging and training volunteer attorneys, we can dramatically increase the number and diversity of cases we take on while maintaining a lean operational model. Each pro bono partner expands our reach, introduces new subject-matter expertise, and allows us to pursue more strategic litigation and community-based advocacy at minimal cost.
At the same time, sustainable infrastructure remains essential. Strategic investments in coordination, technology, and tools will allow us to better support volunteers, reach underserved communities, and deliver high-quality legal services efficiently. With continued support, Community Counsel can broaden its reach, strengthen collaborative advocacy, and ensure that more people receive the legal protection they deserve.

The largest portion of work we perform is in Orange County but we offer services in neighboring counties with most of the support given in underserved San Bernardino and Riverside counties.