Free and Low Cost Estate Planning Services
To help make estate planning services more accessible across California, we’ve compiled a list of free and low cost services that may be helpful to you. Please note that we do not endorse any of the organizations listed below—this is simply a collection of publicly available resources. For additional organizations, visit LawHelpCA.org for California-specific services or LawHelp.org for national resources to find legal aid near you.
Northern California
| Legal Organization | What They Offer |
|---|---|
| California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) | CANHR is based in the Bay Area and provides support for families navigating long-term care, estate planning education, attorney referrals, and strategies to avoid Medi-Cal estate recovery. |
| Legal Assistance to the Elderly | Elders & disabled adults who need simple wills, trusts and other end of life planning assistance. |
| Covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. Helps with advance directives, elder planning, and referrals for wills and trusts. | |
| Offers one-on-one estate planning help including wills, durable powers of attorney, and health care directives for low-income clients in Santa Clara County. | |
| Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) | Services for residents 60+ in Santa Clara County. Focuses on estate planning for elderly, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. |
| Legal Assistance for Seniors (LAS) | Based in Oakland, LAS offers estate planning help including wills and health directives for older adults in Alameda County. |
Southern California
| Legal Organization | What They Offer |
|---|---|
| Bet Tzedek Legal Services | One of the largest legal aid providers in SoCal. They offer Leaving a Legacy covering advance directives, wills, powers of attorney, and conservatorship defense. |
| Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) | Offers services in simple wills, power of attorney documents, and advance health care directives for low-income residents in LA County. |
| Free legal services in basic estate planning, advance directives, and probate advice. Also supports veterans and disabled individuals. | |
| Offers estate planning services such as wills, health care directives, and workshops. Focuses on underserved and immigrant communities. | |
| Serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Offers estate planning support to seniors and low-income residents including help with probate matters. |
Statewide Services
| Legal Organization | What They Offer |
|---|---|
| State Bar of California Pro Bono Directory | This is the State Bar of California’s list of pro bono service providers across California. |
| Additional resources collected by the California courts on where to find free or low-cost legal help | |
| Free legal aid for U.S. veterans in California, including estate planning, wills, and VA benefit structuring. | |
| Legal help for people with disabilities. Offers estate planning services like advance directives. |
