Organizations Filed Purposes:
The Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC), the statewide membership of legal services nonprofits, serves its members through advocacy and other support in efforts to provide legal assistance to low-income Californians and ensure access to justice.
In FY1920, LAAC continued an ambitious legislator education campaign through the annual "Legal Aid Day in Sacramento," strengthening connections between legislators and the nonprofits providing services in their districts. LAAC organized a series of in person and online trainings to the California legal services community and facilitated a national conference for legal aid attorneys, legal stakeholders, judges, and court staff. In January, LAAC published "Justice at Risk," a report on the recruitment and retention crisis in the California legal aid community. LAAC also provided a summer fellowship for law students committed to public interest through LAACs Dan Bradley Fellowship program, aiming to reduce law school debt for students committed to working in legal aid. In the summer of 2020, LAAC held its first Wellness Summit for legal aid staff to address burnout in the legal aid community.
During FY1920, LAAC also supported a statewide resource and referral website for individuals seeking legal advice and information at www.LawHelpCA.org. LAAC staff trained front-line helpers across the state on how to help people in crisis access legal resources.
During FY1920, the Legal Aid Association of California began a new partnership with the California Access to Justice Commission. The Access Commission files articles of incorporation in mid-2019 and briefly needed a fiscal sponsor as they awaited their 501(c)3 determination. LAAC also entered into an MOU with the Access Commission to provide staffing support. The Access Commission's mission is in line with the work of LAAC, as they strive to make the civil justice system accessible to all.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Salena Copeland | Executive Dir. | 40 | $91,934 |
| Elica Vafaie | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Deborah Thrope | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Gerson Sorto | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Victoria Snyder | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Jessica Redditt | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Adam Murray | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Kellie Morgantini | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Creighton Mendivil | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Nick Levenhagen | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Tashara Kuspa | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Carolyn Kim | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Jenni Gomez | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Amy Fitzpatrick | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Connie Chu | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Denny Chan | Director | 1 | $0 |
| April Caires | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Alexis Alvarez | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Sarah Reisman | Secretary | 2 | $0 |
| Nancy Bigelow | Treasurer | 2 | $0 |
| Kate Marr | Vice Chair | 2 | $0 |
| Lauren Hansen | Chair | 2 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202140919349300219_public.xml