About

Established by Legal Aid Society of Orange County (California) in 2008, the mission of MedLaw Project is to help ensure that the children and families of Santa Ana, California and surrounding cities in Orange County obtain and keep their basic needs - for food, housing, education, health care, safety and stability - by improving front-line health care staff’s capacity to screen, identify, triage and refer basic needs legal issues.

Our Services
Launched in May 2008, MedLaw Project will ensure that the children and families of Orange County obtain and keep their basic needs for food, housing, education, health care, safety and stability by improving front-line health care staff’s capacity to screen, triage and refer basic needs legal issues. Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC) provides MedLaw Project patients with legal services on issues related to housing, family law, domestic violence, special education, tax law, and health and other benefits.

Legal Services. Two mornings a month, LASOC meets with UCI patients and occupies an office at the University of Irvine Medical Center Family Health Center in Santa Ana, the first site of MedLaw Project. LASOC provides advice/counsel, referrals and representation aimed at:

1) protecting spouses and children from domestic violence;
2) ensuring that children and their families have safe housing conditions;
3) safeguarding the elderly against fraud and abuse;
4) helping families, children and the elderly obtain health and other benefits;
5) assisting individuals with filing tax returns and resolve tax controversies; and
6) informing low-income workers about the Earned Income Tax Credit.

MedLaw Patients with urgent issues are able to directly access to LASOC staff member designated to the initiative.

LASOC also refers MedLaw Project patients to community-based organizations and other agencies, thereby giving patients access to a holistic set of services that will also improve their health.

Training. MedLaw Project will host workshops for partner health care providers so that physicians, nurses, social workers and other front-line medical staff may be better equipped to identify legal issues that impact the health of a patient. To view the training calendar, click here.

Advocacy. Systemic advocacy is another essential component of MedLaw Project. In order to make long-term improvements that will positively impact the health of low-income children and families, MedLaw Project will collaborate with stakeholders in the community to identify issues around which they may collectively conduct advocacy activities.