Legal Aid of Sonoma County

Anna Peterson

Pat is the most caring person and an even better lawyer we couldn't have gotten through with him

EdaMariaK Kahlstrom

I went here when I was in dyer need. My best friend passed and left me his house on a piece of land in Sebastopol. It was taken from me and they wouldnt help because I had no money to speak of. I am disabled and homeless now ...

WildTurkey X

I am giving 3 stars because I had a good and bad experience here. The actual meeting with the attorney was long and detailed, pretty good attention for a free service. I realize I use the word free, it is a service for low income or unemployed people. Now, my issue is, there is no follow through here. My attorney said I could call or email with any further questions. I have done so, no response. It's been 4 days now and the end of their work week. I think if you say something, you need to follow through with it. Ghosting me is not going to help anything. If they don't want to be available once the meeting is over they need to state that. I am waiting til over this weekend and if I still hear nothing from them I will let them know personally. I did see a family come in without an appointment, I get that, but the attorney's response to this family for not emailing them back was "I've been busy." Well my response is, you should be busy with your clients, and their cases, not your life, while on the job that is. I am not saying they are not entitled to their problems and life, but between seeing a response to another family, and a no response to myself, I feel like this place pretends you don't exist once you walk out their doors. I wish the help was as good as it is in person once you leave. Problems don't disappear just because we meet and talk about it. I have an update on my review. I just changed it from 3 to 1 stars. I am still dealing with the same restraining order I need help with, from June this year. I walked in today in November of 2018 and they claimed no attorneys were even there! Mind you, restraining order specialist attorneys. They claimed only housing and eviction attorneys were there. So, I drive one hour from home, to the ONLY place that helps with this matter minus having your own hired paid attorney, and NO ONE WAS THERE. I let them know AGAIN that every time I have EVER called NO ONE answers the phone there EVER. They literally responded with "We are just volunteers, we have no idea how the phone operating system works." So, guys, this place has just claimed that they do not know how to answer their phones. I swear to God, that is what the women working here told me. Then the main one talking to me got snappy and told me to go to Family Law on Cleveland Ave. I called Family Law on Cleveland Ave and the phone message stipulates that if one needs help with a restraining order, that they DO NOT help with that, and to go to Legal Aid. There is no other option in Sonoma County, and that is a huge problem, being stuck with these useless people. Could you imagine, if they would answer their phone? They could have told me, no attorneys that I would need to see, were there, and I could have saved myself a pointless 1 hour drive there, PLUS the 1 hour drive back home, with NO HELP.

mandy armstrong

Don't waste your time. You'll get better advice from Google without sharing your personal info and surrounding yourself with the clientele that is also forced to sit and wait in their lobby. The worst part is they have zero respect for your time or confidentiality. And it seems any person off the street is allowed to work their front desk, no skills or experience required. AFTER making an appointment NOT being a walk-in I had to wait, and answer all the same information/questions I had ALREADY done over the phone. JUST because you're a nonprofit doesn't mean you can't be organized, professional, or courteous... didn't realize it entitled people to get treated less than. And even volunteers who work for free get trained properly to not have confidential information out in the open. While in there I was also made uncomfortable with not just MY information to be out in the open but I heard sensitive and confidential information about others.