If you are a commercial tenant in the Bay Area who needs help negotiating your lease, creating a rent repayment plan, or whose landlord is threatening you with an eviction or breach of contract case, we can help. We offer a variety of services including webinars that outline your moratorium protections and legal defenses, commercial lease clinics, attorney matching, and legal information. If you have any questions specific to commercial lease matters, please email commercial.lease@lccrsf.org.

Resources for San Francisco and Oakland-Based Small Businesses and Nonprofits

San Francisco

Oakland

How to Apply for Free Legal Services

Legal Services for Entrepreneurs (LSE) provides free legal services to low-income individuals who want to start or develop businesses; businesses committed to investing in economically distressed communities, including hiring people with arrest and conviction records; and mom and pop shops located in areas where gentrification is a force for displacement.

Need business law advice? We can help! 

We serve Bay Area clients that are: 

  • Low-income individuals 
  • Located in low-income communities; and/or 
  • Located in communities of color and have a commitment to hiring from the community 


We provide free legal consultations on

  • Liability issues 
  • Terms of a commercial lease 
  • Business contracts 
  • Employment law 
  • Intellectual property 
  • Other business concerns 

Please note: We do not provide legal consultation on tax, litigation, or bankruptcy concerns. 

You’ll need to complete an online application form. Once the application form is submitted, LCCRSF staff will contact you to schedule a 30-minute call to listen to your situation and match you with the right attorney and resources. 

LSE Pro-Bono/Free Attorney Application

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Personal Information


Please enter the date as: mm/dd/yyyy.
Include apartment number, if any.
Name, phone number, and relationship to you of another contact person, in case we can't get ahold of you

Demographic Information

Your answers to these questions are collected for grant reporting purposes. 
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If yes, please check the box.
If yes, please check the box.

Personal Financial Information

Your application will not be considered without the following financial information. Your answers are collected to assess eligibility for our program and for grant reporting. 
Number of people who live with and share financial resources with you.
Includes income of spouse, parent or partner in same household. 
Please enter a number without a dollar sign.
Please enter a number without a dollar sign.

Business Information

Name, phone number, e-mail address

Legal Assistance

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If yes, please check the box.
Please enter in format mm/dd/yyyy
If yes, please check the box.
If yes, please check the box.
50 Character Limit

Consent for Disclosure of Case Information

We will not disclose the information you provide in this Application for Assistance to anyone except: 

1.       as authorized by you; 

2.       as required by law or court order;

3.       our employees and representatives, for the purpose of making a determination about whether you qualify for our services and/or for the performance of our services; 

4.       volunteer attorneys, paralegals, translators, or interpreters (“Volunteers”) who express interest in assisting you. All Volunteers will see a short description of your request for assistance that does not contain any identifying details. Volunteers who express interest in assisting you will receive your name and contact information and that of any opposing parties to facilitate a conflicts check. After completing the conflicts check and connecting you with the Volunteers who have agreed to assist you, we will forward those Volunteers a full copy of your application; or

5.       we may compile data and information provided by you and other Legal Services for Entrepreneurs applicants and/or clients, but such information will only be disclosed on an aggregate or illustrative basis and will not be disclosed in a manner that would personally identify you.

File Upload

Your application will not be considered without uploaded copies of the requested financial information.
Upload a copy of your commercial lease, if applicable.

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