Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid
Open Thursday evenings at 6. First come, first served.
LOCATION: 642 Lemon Way, Fillmore, CA 93015
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 236, Fillmore, CA 93016
Since 1996
Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid- Fillmore, CA
Opened in 1996, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid is a vibrant, community-based legal aid program where people in need can confer with an attorney in a convenient neighborhood location. SCVLA helps income qualified people in Ventura County’s Santa Clara Valley communities of Fillmore, Piru and Santa Paula.
Tenant Law
We assist tenants with 3-day, 30-day and 60-day notices; eviction defense; security deposit justice; habitable housing and other tenant rights issues.
Social Security Disability
Two of our volunteers work exclusively helping people with social security disability appeals and can accompany clients to their appeals in Santa Barbara.
Consumer Law
We assist people negotiate and understand consumer issues; review credit card bills; medical bills; and fair billing.
Family Law
We assist people with initial divorce filings, questions with child support and child cusotdy.
Who We Are
Debora S. Vierra
Founding Attorney
Debora founded Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid in 1996. She assists people in tenant, employment and labor law.
Laura Bartels
Director
Laura has served as Director since 2000. She assists people with tenant issues, consumer law, and creditor issues.
Leslie McAdam
Attorney
Leslie has been volunteering at legal aid since 2008. She assists people with eviction defense, employment law and civil issues.
Enedina Vasquez
Translator
Enedina has been translating English-Spanish and Spanish-English for legal aid since 2005.
Lynn Edmonds
Social Security Disability Appeals Advocate
Lynn has volunteered at the clinic since 2005 helps with translation and Social Security Disability appeals.
Robert A. Carson
Social Security Disability Appeals Advocate
Since 2015, Robert has represented, assisted and supported clients through the daunting process of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Security (SSI) application, and if needed, review and appeal.
Robert is recognized as a Legal Representative for clients in the appeal process before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) within the Social Security system.
Professionally, he is a retired Environmental Programs Manager (Drinking Water, Industrial Waste, Stormwater Quality) for local government. He also was Labor Union President and negotiator for over 20 years.
Access to Justice
The entire community benefits whenever an illegal eviction is stopped and a family is able to avoid homelessness; when a disabled person qualifies for state or federal disability benefits; when a parent receives unpaid child support, all can avoid the public welfare rolls. All of those outcomes result in critical help to the client and in direcct government savings. Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid is committed to providing this critical access to justice and its corresponding public benefits.