Who We Are
Legal Services Corporation is the single-largest funder for organizations providing civil legal aid to low-income Americans.
Our Mission
To promote equal access to justice in our Nation and to provide high quality civil legal assistance to low-income persons.
About LSC: Providing Equal Access to Justice
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the largest national funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, ensuring equal access to justice for those who need it most. Since it was established by Congress in 1974, LSC has operated as an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, providing essential grants to support high-quality civil legal assistance for individuals facing economic hardships.
In the Legal Services Corporation Act, the United States Congress outlined the need to ensure that low-income individuals have equal access to the justice system. Congress declared that:
- "There is a critical need to provide equal access to the justice system for individuals seeking to address grievances."
- "Low-income individuals must have access to high-quality legal counsel that they would otherwise be unable to afford."
- "Providing legal assistance to those facing economic barriers serves the ends of justice and enhances opportunities for low-income Americans."
Our Impact
LSC distributes over 90% of its funding to 130 independent nonprofit legal aid programs, which together operate more than 800 offices across the country. These programs serve as a lifeline for low-income Americans, helping them navigate critical legal matters that impact their safety, livelihood, and family stability.
Commitment to Quality & Accountability
LSC ensures the highest standards by:
- Awarding grants through a competitive application process
- Conducting compliance reviews and program visits
- Providing training and technical assistance
Leadership
LSC is governed by a bipartisan Board of Directors, with 11 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The current President is Ronald S. Flagg, and John Levi serves as Chairman.
Who is helped by LSC-funded programs?
LSC-funded programs help people who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines – in 2025, that is $19,563 for an individual, $40,188 for a family of four. Clients come from every ethnic group and every age group and live in rural, suburban, and urban areas. They are America's workers, veterans, homeowners and renters, families with children, farmers, and the elderly. Women - many of whom are struggling to keep their children safe and their families together - comprise 70 percent of clients.
Legal assistance is necessary to address many issues that affect low-income Americans and their families.
LSC grantees help victims of domestic violence by obtaining protective and restraining orders, help parents obtain and keep custody of their children, assist family members in obtaining guardianship for children without parents, and other family law matters. Almost a third of all cases closed by local LSC programs are family law cases.
As the second largest category of all cases closed, these matters involve helping to resolve landlord-tenant disputes, helping homeowners prevent foreclosures or renegotiate their loans, assisting renters with eviction notices whose landlords are being foreclosed on, and helping people maintain federal housing subsidies when appropriate.
Eleven percent of cases involve protecting the elderly and other vulnerable groups from being victimized by unscrupulous lenders, helping people file for bankruptcy when appropriate and helping people manage their debts.
More than 15 percent of cases involve helping working Americans obtain promised compensation from private employers, and helping people obtain and retain government benefits such as disability, veterans, and unemployment compensation benefits to which they are entitled.
StatesideLegal.org—the first website in the nation to focus exclusively on federal legal rights and legal resources important to veterans – is funded by an LSC Technology Initiatives Grant. This free service enables military families and veterans to access a wide array of legal information and assistance. The Department of Veterans Affairs, in a directive, encourages use of the website in connection with service to homeless veterans.
LSC has a long history with helping victims of natural disasters. LSC has built a national network of experience and expertise—including legal services providers and national organizations such as the American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—to help programs better serve victims when disasters strike.
How is assistance provided?
Legal aid programs provide extensive representation in individual cases when required, but they also provide:
- Clinics, often staffed by pro bono attorneys, where legal problems can be identified and addressed on-site or scheduled for additional assistance if needed;
- Advice and self-help materials (delivered via workshops, telephone help lines, online chat tools, downloadable court forms, etc.) that help people understand their rights and responsibilities, when legal assistance may be needed and where to find it, and get assistance with self-representation when necessary; and
- Referrals to other social services as appropriate.
Download Files
| Title of File or Publication | Size | Format | |
| What is LSC Fact Sheet | 221.45kb | Download |