Legal Aid for Small Business Owners

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

County Spending Category
2.1 Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, and Nonprofits
Federal Expenditure Category
Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Project Launch Date
02/28/2022
Anticipated End Date
12/31/2026
Interpretation Languages
  • Korean
  • Spanish
  • Mandarin
  • Cantonese
  • Vietnamese
Written Languages
  • Spanish
  • Korean
  • Simplified Chinese

Project Contacts

Indicators & Metrics to Date

  • Number of Small Businesses Served
    713
  • # of trainings conducted
    53
  • # of trainings conducted
    51
  • Create a hosted Legal Aid webpage.
    1
  • Create a toll-free number for LAC Legal Aid program.
    1
  • # of intake forms completed
    713
  • Number of Legal Academies conducted
    6
  • Number of business webinars
    27
  • Number of Know Your Rights webinars
    8
  • Number of unique businesses receiving 1:1 consultation
    690
  • Number of applications
    690
  • Number of businesses attending Know Your Rights Webinars
    137
  • Number of businesses attending trainings on small business topics
    2415
  • Number of businesses attending legal academies
    225
  • Number of businesses attending all trainings
    2795
  • Number of unique businesses that understand the process needed to resolve their legal matter
    0
  • Number of applications for one-on-one legal consultations
    706
  • Number of businesses with multiple legal cases
    157
  • Number of applications for assistance
    713
  • Number of applications for one-on-one legal consultations
    0
  • Number of unique businesses referred to DEO for additional services
    0
  • Number of unique businesses that have completed legal service and have resolved their issue, drafted appropriate documents, negotiated leases, etc.
    0
  • Number of businesses with multiple legal cases
    157

Target Populations

  • Small Businesses

Project Description

Historically and continuing to present day, the more that 244,000 small businesses in LA County have had a higher risk of failure than large enterprises and one such barrier to resiliency is their limited access to affordable and culturally competent legal guidance on various aspects of running a business, writing and executing a contract, or entering into commercial lease agreements. This lack of legal support leaves our small businesses vulnerable to predatory or unfair practices. The pandemic exacerbated resiliency risks for small businesses with nearly 15,000 businesses facing temporary or permanent closure in the first few months of the pandemic. Over 93% of small businesses have 20 or few employees (Pathways for Economic Resiliency: Los Angeles County 2021-2026, 2021, LAEDC) and over 55% are minority owned and COVID-19 has impacted these business owners and their employees disproportionately once again. While the County mobilized to offer an eviction moratorium and rent relief as well as general financial relief for small businesses, these small businesses also needed and continue to need qualified legal support as they navigate the complexity of staying open in this new normal. Further, in the spring of 2022, the County’s Board of Supervisors passed permanent protections for small commercial tenants in unincorporated areas against retaliation and harassment by landlords and offers a new private right of action for legal remedy. The Legal Aid for Small Business Owners Program (Program) will, at no cost, connect small businesses to legal assistance, including support for those who obtained Small Business Rent Relief (SBRR) and who are reviewing their rights as outlined in the anti-retaliation and harassment ordinance. This Program will engage in outreach to small businesses and legal aid will be administered by trusted and community-based legal partners through ongoing webinars, one-on-one counseling, and legal academies covering the most imminent legal assistance on business-relevant topics, including but not limited to commercial lease agreements; employee safety, wages, and paid leave benefits; contract negotiation; intellectual property; tax liability; business entity structure; and bankruptcy. Businesses receiving legal assistance will gain the necessary support to meet their unique legal needs and with a goal of helping the small businesses maintain their business status, personnel, property, and revenue streams. The program will conduct community outreach and other marketing and promotional activities to ensure target businesses are aware of and utilizing the legal aid services. The Program’s intent is to prioritize service delivery to businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and those located in the most economically disadvantaged regions of Los Angeles County to improve economic disparities in those communities, providing service to small and microbusinesses, lsuch as small, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), undocumented immigrant, limited English proficient (LEP), and/or women-owned businesses. By reaching these priority populations and high needs areas, the Program will assist in reducing and closing race and gender equity gaps that exist as barriers to these businesses getting on the path to recovery from the pandemic and the subsequent economic disruption.

Goals & Objectives

Goal Description At least 1,250 small and diverse businesses, including undocumented and limited English proficiency business owners in underserved, marginalized, and COVID-19 impacted communities gain access to legal assistance and support to meet their legal needs in order to maintain their business status, personnel, property, and revenue streams by December 2026.

Objective Description At minimum over 1,250 unique businesses participate in legal workshops or trainings.

Activity Description Host 8 Know Your Rights webinars for commercial leasing negotiations by December 2024.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
2 Service Delivery Number of businesses attending Know Your Rights Webinars 200.00
7 Service Delivery Number of Know Your Rights webinars 8.00

Activity Description Provide webinars that are recorded and posted that cover small business relevant topics, such as contract development/negotiations, trademark assistance, business structure filings, landlord and tenant issues, and employer compliance by December 2026.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
3 Service Delivery Number of businesses attending trainings on small business topics 1050.00
6 Service Delivery Number of business webinars 10.00

Activity Description Legal academies provide a more in-depth review of a small business relevant topic and includes the opportunity for consultations with attorneys during the event by December 2024.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Number of businesses attending legal academies 0.00
5 Service Delivery Number of Legal Academies conducted 2.00

Activity Description Provide access to legal resources through a dedicated webpage and a toll-free number by December 2023.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
22 Service Delivery Create a hosted Legal Aid webpage. 0.00 1.00
23 Service Delivery Create a toll-free number for LAC Legal Aid program. 0.00 1.00

Outcome Description Through legal workshops, webinars and trainings, small businesses will be more aware of their rights by December 2026.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of businesses attending all trainings 1250.00

Goal Description LA County small and diverse businesses will have access to and obtain one-on-one legal consultations. At least 1,450 cases of legal services provided to LA County small and diverse businesses, including undocumented and limited English proficiency business owners in underserved, marginalized, and COVID-19 impacted communities. There will be at minimum 1,250 unique business that receive access to legal assistance and support to meet their legal needs in order to maintain their business status, personnel, property, and revenue streams by December 2026.

Objective Description Business who took steps to resolve their legal matter.

Activity Description Create an intake form to capture business information by December 2023.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Service Delivery Number of applications for assistance 650.00
4 Service Delivery Number of applications 800.00
8 Performance Number of unique businesses receiving 1:1 consultation 800.00

Outcome Description Business owners understand the process needed to resolve their legal matter by December 2026.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of unique businesses that understand the process needed to resolve their legal matter 0.00 1450.00

Outcome Description 800 unique businesses applied for one-on-one legal consultation by December 2026.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of applications for one-on-one legal consultations 800.00
1 Program Outcome Number of applications for one-on-one legal consultations 650.00
1 Program Outcome Number of unique businesses referred to DEO for additional services 0.00
1 Program Outcome Number of unique businesses that have completed legal service and have resolved their issue, drafted appropriate documents, negotiated leases, etc. 0.00

Outcome Description Number of businesses receiving multiple legal counseling services for different legal issues by December 2026.
Indicators
# Type Name Baseline Target
1 Program Outcome Number of businesses with multiple legal cases 200.00
1 Program Outcome Number of businesses with multiple legal cases 200.00