Nonprofit Partner Spotlight: Community Legal Services

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) was founded in 1966 by the Philadelphia Bar Association and is nationally recognized as a model legal services program. CLS works to combat poverty, challenge unjust systems, and provide legal representation and advocacy to improve the lives of clients and their families. Since its founding, CLS has provided civil legal services to over one million low-income Philadelphians. The organization represents thousands of clients every year who face losing their homes, incomes, health care, or families.

CLS has unique legal units, projects, and partnerships specializing in a full range of legal issues, including employment, health, housing, SSI, and consumer rights. The legal units change and improve current policies, provide representation to individuals and families, and supply information through community education.

The legal advocates at CLS work to prevent and solve legal problems through medical-legal partnerships at health care provider sites. The Language Access Project and Youth Justice Project allow CLS to provide targeted legal services to non-English speaking communities and low-income young people transitioning to adulthood.