Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has launched the Community Law Corps, a new legal division within her office’s Municipal Branch focused on improving quality of life in neighborhoods.

The CLC will serve as the first point of contact for community stakeholders to the City Attorney’s Office. It will help coordinate legal resources with council offices, city departments, government agencies and law enforcement partners to identify and resolve challenging legal issues faced by many Los Angeles neighborhoods, such as blighted properties and chronic nuisance activity.

Comprised of attorneys and legal professionals with experience in civil and criminal law, the CLC will take preventative and proactive measures and establish partnerships to resolve problems that enforcement alone cannot adequately address. Working with community groups, the CLC will also identify emerging neighborhood concerns and will work with city departments to address them.

“The Community Law Corps sits at the nexus of our neighborhoods, City Hall and the laws we enforce, and goes beyond the courtroom to get things done,” Feldstein Soto said. “This team of attorneys, community resource specialists and other legal professionals will help our residents navigate city departments, build partnerships, find resources and improve the quality of life for all who live, work or pass our city.”

Supervised by Assistant City Attorney Tamar Galatzan, the CLC will manage a variety of legal matters and redirect complaints to the appropriate unit within the City Attorney’s Office or law enforcement. Additionally, the CLC will connect residents with city departments to address their concerns and provide contact information for local legal aid organizations and service providers.

To contact the CLC, call (213)978-7878, or email a description of the issues to att.communitylawcorps@lacity.org.