Donate to Legal Aid

The State Bar plays a significant role in helping make legal services available to those who can’t afford to hire a lawyer by providing grants to legal aid organizations across the state. These grants are made possible with the help of charitable donations and state funds earmarked to help the most disadvantaged in our society. The three main sources of funds are:

• The Greg E. Knoll Justice Gap Fund, which collects tax-exempt donations from attorneys and the public to support free legal services to low-income Californians. The fund also receives “cy pres” funds, residual money from class action lawsuits, probate matters or other proceedings.
• The Equal Access Fund, which administers state funds allocated by the governor and state legislature.    
• The Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) pools the interest on money that lawyers hold for their clients in small amounts or for a short period of time.