Funding Area: Poverty Alleviation
Charleston Legal Access is South Carolina’s first and only nonprofit, sliding-scale law firm. We provide sliding-scale legal services at a price that those of moderate means can afford. Hourly rates are determined on an individual basis by a client’s income and family size. Our initial screening and phone consultations with an attorney are completely free. In-person, 1-2 hour case consultations and limited assistance sessions, as well as full representation. Attorney access, even very limited representation, changes outcomes for families. It can often preserve homes, income streams, and other assets that maintain financial stability and well-being in communities. However, when faced with a legal emergency, many individuals who do not qualify for free legal representation take the risk of going without an attorney, only to find themselves in worse financial and legal trouble and at risk of losing everything. While our hybrid model is revenue-generating, which increases our sustainability, revenue from legal services only covers 15% of our operating budget. With a rise in demand for services, we are seeking like-minded partners to support and invest in our mission.
Projects We Support
Charleston Legal Access Immigration Law Project
2024 Grant
Charleston Legal Access (CLA) seeks $20,000 to launch a new immigration law program and expand access to legal representation to the growing Latinx population in South Carolina. Funding will cover a portion of the salary to create a full-time Immigration Attorney staff position. Because CLA has a hybrid funding model based on a sliding scale fee model, we are confident that after an onboarding period, legal fees will help sustain the position. CLA was created to fill a void in the legal community and offer services not provided by any other organization in the state. Our goal is simple: to provide low-cost legal representation and assistance to the working class and others of modest means who do not qualify for free legal services but who cannot afford a private attorney.
2026 Grant
Charleston Legal Access (CLA) is seeking support to grow its newly launched Immigration Practice. With Tomberg Family Philanthropies’ support in 2024, CLA hired an experienced bilingual immigration attorney in June 2025 and officially launched the practice. Since then, the response has been exceptional; CLA currently has 24 active immigration cases, including asylum, removal defense, VAWA, U-visas, SIJS, FOIA requests, and humanitarian parole. We have closed or completed 91 additional cases and consultations. At any given time, we maintain a pipeline of approximately 25 potential clients – individuals who have contacted us, completed intake, and are awaiting either for a consultation or an opening in our caseload. We are currently averaging 5–7 new immigration consultations each week. To date in 2025, CLA has already received over 232 immigration-related calls, nearly a four-fold increase from the 66 total calls we received from Spanish-speaking clients in 2024. This grant will help sustain the practice through its critical first year and will provide a foundation of support from which to grow the program statewide.
Support Dates: April, 2024 – March, 2025 / April, 2026 – ongoing
Note: This information comes from Charleston Legal Access’ website and a brief description from their grant proposal.
