For almost 50 years, CCLS has served as a vanguard of equity by fighting social injustice through education and representation of low-income residents. The organization’s mission is to fight social injustice, to provide education and representation to the disadvantaged, and to maintain access to the legal system.
CCLS traces its origins to 1966, when it operated as Fresno County Legal Services, Inc. Through a series of mergers, the office grew to encompass its current six-county service area in the central San Joaquin Valley and the mountain foothills. By maintaining a focus on clients’ legal needs and integrity of services, the expert staff at CCLS serves thousands of eligible clients in the counties of Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Merced, Tuolumne, and Mariposa, as well as senior citizens in Madera County. Today, CCLS employs a staff of over sixty individuals with offices in the cities of Fresno, Merced, and Visalia.