About Legal Aid

Legal Aid Service of Collier County is a private, non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to Collier County residents who face matters of life-changing significance.

Legal Aid provides a critical safety net for the community by serving thousands of economically needy residents in Collier County.

Legal Aid in the Last 12 Months

Clients Served

Total Economic Benefits to Clients

Number of Clients Assisted with Housing Issues

Number of At-Risk Children Served by Legal Aid

Number of Domestic Violence Survivors Assisted

Number of Seniors Assisted

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Our Mission

To provide high quality free civil legal advice, representation and education to the residents of Collier County, based on need, so as to encourage self-sufficiency and improve the lifestyle and living conditions of the entire community. 

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Our History

Legal Aid Service of Collier County (LASCC) is the successor agency to the former Collier County Legal Aid Society, which operated as a one-attorney legal services office in Naples for most of its seven years in operation.

During a statewide restructuring of legal services in October of 2004, Legal Aid Service of Broward County assumed responsibility for providing indigent legal services in Collier County and took over operations of both the Collier County Legal Aid Society in Naples, as well as the Immokalee office of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.
Thus, a new entity was created: Legal Aid Service of Collier County. LASCC employs several in-house attorneys and other professional staff, offering both legal representation and pro bono coordination with volunteer attorneys. LASCC staff also regularly provide community legal education programs for the poor.

What began as a one attorney and one support staff office in 2004 at the Collier County Legal Aid Society has now grown to a full-service public interest law firm employing more than 35 professionals with a main office in Naples and an Outreach office in Immokalee.  Since 2004, LASCC has provided free legal assistance to more than 20,000 Collier County residents in need.

Our Values

Fairness

Our poorest and most vulnerable citizens need real and meaningful access to civil Courts when facing the most serious possible losses or consequences involving basic human needs, regardless of their ability to pay for legal counsel.

Protect Victims

Every victim of domestic violence, assault or other abuse (including stalking) must be provided with legal assistance adequate to secure their safety and well-being, regardless of their ability to pay.

Safeguard Human Rights

Appropriate legal assistance must be provided, regardless of ability to pay, to individuals with immigration issues that affect their personal safety. Individuals such as human trafficking victims, victims of severe domestic violence, unaccompanied children, and political asylees facing the threat of death upon return to their home country are entitled to basic legal help as a matter of human rights, fairness, and equal justice.

Justice

Basic human needs continue to be jeopardized in our local civil courts for those without counsel in high stakes matters involving safety, health or minimum economic security. Equal justice demands safeguards/protection for all in these matters.

Prevent Homelessness

All families and households who are at risk of homelessness through foreclosure or eviction are entitled to adequate legal assistance to secure their rights, regardless of their ability to pay.

Educate Those with Learning Disabilities

Every child has the right to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive academic environment possible. When schools do not provide children with learning disabilities or special needs with the services and supports to which they are entitled, these children must be provided with legal representation, regardless of their ability to pay, in order for them to reach their full potential.

Protect Children

Every at risk child (abused, neglected or abandoned) must be provided with legal representation, as needed, to protect them and provide for their safety, health, education. All children are entitled to the provision of basic human needs, such as shelter, safe living conditions, and a home environment adequate to provide them with a chance to reach their full potential.

Protect the Elderly, Disabled, and other Vulnerable Citizens.

Low income seniors, veterans, and the disabled are among the most vulnerable members of our society. Legal assistance must be furnished when they cannot afford counsel and need help to secure benefits, housing, medical care, or other basic needs.

Promote Healthy Home Environments for Families with Minor Children

No parent should lose custody of their children simply because they cannot afford legal counsel. The consequence of a loving parent losing custody of their children is as serious as any in our legal system.

Legal Aid Service of Collier County

(239) 775-4555

(239) 775-3887

4436 Tamiami Trail E, Naples, FL 34112

9am - 5pm | Monday - Friday

2024 Board of Directors

Chad Van Horn | Chairperson

Van Horn Law Group, P.A.

Katie Kohn, Esq. | Vice Chairperson

Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A.

Philip Schlissel, Esq. | Secretary

Attorney

Henry Martin, C.P.A. | Treasurer

CohnReznick

Caran Rothchild, Esq. | Past Chairperson

Greenberg Traurig, P.A.

Brooke Benzio, Esq.

Quarles & Brady LLP

Jesse Diner, Esq.

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Barbara McCarthy, Esq.

Attorney

Nathalie Nozile, Esq.

Attorney

Patricia Preciado, Esq.

Patricia Preciado Law, LLC

Douglas H. Reynolds, Esq.

Tripp Scott

Ofer Shmucher, Esq.

Shmucher Law, PL.

Kimberly A. Spiker, Esq.

Northern Trust

 

Collier Advisory Board

TBA

 

Executive Leadership

Executive Director
Brent Thompson, Esq.

Chief Financial Officer
Angela Palmer

Deputy Executive Director
Carol O’Callaghan, Esq.

Regional Director of Development
Jeffrey Ahren

Collier Lawyers Care

Collier Lawyers Care (CLC) enables busy attorneys to make a difference in their community by streamlining the administrative process so that the attorneys can use their valuable time actually handling cases.

Pro bono attorneys assist by handling individual cases, participating in free legal clinics, and contributing financially to the program. If you are an attorney in southwest Florida, Legal Aid Service of Collier County needs your help addressing the critical civil legal needs of the poor in our community.

Collier County’s Pro Bono Program

“We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

We have clients who need help in a variety of civil legal areas such as family law, housing, consumer issues, employment, bankruptcy, immigration and many other areas.
CLC prescreens cases for merit and financial eligibility, tracks and reports pro bono hours, covers pre-approved court and litigation costs, furnishes malpractice insurance coverage, and matches the attorney’s area of expertise with the legal needs of low-income clients.