Mission

Columbia Legal Services advocates for laws that advance social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. Our work is directed by the communities we serve. We contribute our legal knowledge and skills to support initiatives that are identified by the community to enhance the community's power. We hold ourselves accountable to principles of race equity and human rights. Through our community-led legal advocacy, we hold government agencies, institutions, and other actors accountable to address the root causes of racism and their manifestation in unfair treatment and inequitable access to resources, power, and opportunities based on race. We believe that to achieve justice, all communities should have a voice in the creation and implementation of the policies, laws, and legal systems that impact them. We believe that our legal system must be held accountable by the people most impacted by it.