Since moving here, I have found that Charlestonians are people who care. However, we are also an active, career and family-focused area where I think many of us (including myself) can become caught up in the busyness of our lives and lose track of the positive impacts we can make while meeting our everyday demands.

At Charleston Legal Access (CLA), we believe in a love that goes beyond romance, inspiring actions for positive societal change. This love, akin to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision, intertwines with justice, correcting injustices.

Sue Chang, an attorney and CLA board member shares why CLA and empowerment through justice is important to her and for our community.

Dan had hoped he and his wife would have an amicable divorce without lawyers involved, so when he was unexpectedly served court papers, he was jarred. He wasn’t sure that he could fight back on his own, but as a nonprofit professional, he couldn’t afford a private attorney. Luckily he knew about Charleston Legal Access and was able to connect with them. Hear Dan’s full legal journey.

Heather and Ben moved from another state and were thrilled to purchase what seemed to be their dream home in a wonderful and safe neighborhood. Enthusiastic to share it with family and friends, they envisioned creating lasting memories in the home. However, their excitement was short-lived. Just three weeks after their arrival, the recently installed seven-month-old roof began leaking throughout the entire house. This marked the beginning of a prolonged and arduous four-year legal nightmare…

Robert was fully employed and cared deeply for his 2 children from his previous marriage. When the marriage ended in 2021, Robert scraped together everything he had to hire a private attorney. At the time, the children were still young, in daycare and he was ordered to pay $1700/mo in child support which was more than half his monthly income of $2300/month from his two jobs. Robert made sacrifices in the best interest of the children, but even then Robert was on the verge of poverty. Hear Robert’s full story.

CLA's Staff Attorney Lisa Russell sat down with My Sister's House CEO Tosha Connors and Scott McNeish, Head of Family Law with the Charleston office of South Carolina Legal Services, to discuss Orders of Protection and Restraining Orders for SC Domestic Violence Victims.

Seven years ago Sally Newman started CLA to serve those in the middle, those who were working hard but who could be pushed into poverty by a legal setback.

This past quarter we have made significant progress in achieving our strategic goals of expanding our Housing program and expanding services to the LatinX community.