Legal Services of Northern California

Mission Statement

The mission of Legal Services of Northern California is to provide quality legal services that empower the poor to identify and defeat the causes and effects of poverty within their communities, efficiently utilizing all available resources.

Values:

LSNC envisions communities where lawyers are not needed to maintain basic human needs, where people are not more likely to be in poverty due to their skin color, age, gender identity, disability status, or other personal characteristics and expressions. LSNC envisions laws, programs and systems that support and promote financial stability; and a future where everyone has opportunities to feel safe and welcome in their communities.

DEI Statement:

See Mission and Vision

Programs/Services:

Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC), celebrating its 70th year in 2026, is the non-profit civil legal aid provider for 23 northern California counties. From eight field offices, LSNC provides civil legal advice and assistance at no cost to low income people, older adults and people with disabilities in the primary practices areas of housing, health, government benefits and civil rights. LSNC also operates several special projects, including the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Project (HICAP) and the Western States Pension Assistance Project, which serves four states.

LSNC provides vital civil legal services to more than ten thousand clients per year, while also engaging in complex, sophisticated advocacy—through litigation, legislation, administrative advocacy, and community development work—which has a significant positive impact for our entire client community in the areas of affordable housing, public benefits, health, education, and civil rights. LSNC engages the broader legal community to facilitate pro bono assistance through legal clinics, in-house and virtual volunteer opportunities.

LSNC is supported by a broad variety of funding sources, including a grant from the federal Legal Services Corporation, IOLTA and Equal Access funding administered by the State Bar of California, several other state and federal contracts, including from several Area Agencies on Aging throughout the service area. LSNC undergoes a single audit each year, as a recipient of federal funds.

LSNC serves the counties of Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Tehama, Trinity and Yolo.

Ideal Candidate:

In accordance with new guidelines from the federal Legal Services Corporation, LSNC seeks a Board member with special financial knowledge and expertise, preferably a certified public accountant. Specifically, the member must have:

An understanding of GAAP and financial statements
Ability to apply GAAP in connection with preparing and auditing financial statements
Familiarity with developing and implementing internal financial controls and procedures
Capacity to understand the implications of different interpretations of accounting rules.

The ideal candidate will support the mission and vision of LSNC, and will seek Board service to help LSNC ensure responsible stewardship of organizational funds and careful oversight of compliance with various funder requirements. Experience with non-profit accounting and investment strategy is strongly preferred.

Why you should consider joining this board:

LSNC’s Board is composed of a committed group of attorneys, including former legal aid attorneys, client eligible members and other individuals committed to ensuring the availability of civil legal services in northern California. The Board meets virtually five times per year and its meetings last approximately one hour. Joining the LSNC Board will provide the opportunity to use your special knowledge and experience to help ensure the fiscal and structural stability of a non-profit organization serving some of the most vulnerable members of the community.

Fundraising/Financial Commitment:

LSNC encourages its Board members to express their commitment to the organization with an annual donation of any amount. Board members are also encouraged to share information about LSNC and charitable giving opportunities with others, but fundraising is not a requirement of Board service.

Additional Information:

TO APPLY: Submit a résumé and letter describing the reason for your interest in serving on the Board and your reason for supporting the mission of LSNC to Julie Aguilar Rogado, Executive Director, jaguilar@lsnc.net

To Apply:

Year Founded:

1956

Service Region(s):

Sacramento and Northern California

Service Area(s):

Access to Justice, Benefits Access, Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Consumer Protection and Economic Justice, Disability Rights, Disaster Relief, Education, Elder Law, Health Care Access, Housing, Impact Litigation/Advocacy, LGBTQ+ Rights, Racial Justice, Reentry Work, Workers Rights

Annual Revenue:

$10 million – $25 million

Employees:

101-250

Board Members:

11-15

Length of Board Term:

Members serve for 3-year terms and may be reappointed up to an additional 3-year term. Current officers may serve longer than two consecutive terms.