Most lawyers aren’t free, with the exception that the Legal Aid Foundation can be depending on your income and circumstances. Usually, lawyers charge per hour and this can be expensive. Other times, they work on “contingency,” which means they’ll work without charging you up front, but if they win the case they take a cut of your settlement money/damages award. Lawyers typically only work on contingency if they’re confident you have a winning case and that the payout will be huge. Lawsuits can drag out for months or years, and sometimes tenants lose. Consider studying tenant organizing—the people power approach—which can be more effective, less risky, cheaper, and less emotionally burdensome than a lawsuit.

Sometimes, lawyers are extremely helpful and just what you need. If you’ve decided you absolutely need a lawyer, here are some you can contact:

• Legal Aid Foundation (Nonprofit)
• Housing & Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)
• Sabrina Venskus
• Elyse Cossart-Daly
•  ̶L̶a̶c̶y̶ ̶T̶a̶y̶l̶o̶r̶*
• SB Lawyer Referral Service
• Tenant Law Group (San Francisco, sometimes helps Santa Barbara)
• Kevin Hermasen (Los Angeles, sometimes helps Santa Barbara)
• Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai (Pasadena, sometimes helps Santa Barbara)
• Tobener Ravenscroft (Bay Area, sometimes helps Santa Barbara)
  
  *Do not work with Lacy Taylor! She is one of the main attorneys working for Core Spaces, helping to mass evict approximately 1,000 tenants from CBC & The Sweeps. Shame on Lacy Taylor!!