How to call the Senior Legal Hotline for legal help

Are you are a California resident 60 or over?

Here's how you can call the hotline for free legal advice:

If you're thinking of calling for legal advice on behalf of someone else who is eligible for our service, please click here first for some important information.

Our phone numbers for legal advice are (916) 551-2140 in the Sacramento area, (800) 222-1753 elsewhere in California.

Our regular hours are 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday. We stay open until 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays. Please call at these times.

What to expect when you call for help:

• During regular hours our staff and volunteer advocates pick up as many calls as they can. They will answer your question immediately if they know the answer; they may arrange to call you back if it will require some research; or they may make you an appointment to speak with another of our advocates who's an expert on your topic.
   
• If you call with a new matter during office hours and no one can answer right away, you will be offered the opportunity to take a place in line and wait for a call back when your turn comes. If you choose this option, follow the instructions, stating your name and phone number and entering your phone number. We call back as many people as we can, but unfortunately, we rarely get to everyone by the end of the day; and the line starts over the next day.
   
• You may also choose to speak with a receptionist, who will determine your eligibility and note the subject of your question. A limited number of scheduled callback appointments are available, up to two work days out.
   
• If you’re making a follow-up call, it’s best to select the receptionist option, then ask for the person who has been helping you. If he or she isn’t available, you can leave a personal voice message.
   
• If you select the receptionist option and no one at all can answer within a few minutes, you will be forwarded to the general voice mail box. If you leave your message during work hours listed above, we will do our best to call you back the same day, either to advise you or to set a phone appointment if one is available.
  
        Voice mail tips: When you leave a message, please
       speak clearly, spell your name if it's at all unusual, and
       tell us whether you've already spoken to someone or if
       it's your first call. Remember to leave your phone
       number, including the area code. And it helps if you
       mention when is a good time to call.
   
• If a call-back appointment is scheduled for you, please be ready at the set time, with any relevant documents and notes, plus paper and something to write with. And please be patient -- sometimes our advocates get stuck with a long call or an emergency, so they may be a little late.
   
• If you miss a call-back appointment, the advocate may or may not try later, depending on other obligations. It's best if you can call back and reschedule - or you might reach an advocate right away.
   
• Feel free to call again if you need further explanation or advice on the same or a different subject. But please help avoid confusion by telling the person who answers that you've called before. That way, we can pick up where we left off and not waste time - yours or ours. Staff really appreciate your help on this - and so do other seniors waiting to get a turn.
   
• Some of our advocates are volunteers who come in as little as twice a month. So you may have to wait for a follow-up discussion with the same person; or you might prefer to speak with someone else sooner. Don't hesitate to express your preference. All advocates have access to each other's notes.
   
• A word about confidentiality and privacy: As a law office, we are bound to keep the information you share with us as private as you request. Sometimes it may make sense to discuss your problem with someone else, but we will do so only with your permission. Also, we do not share our client data with any other organization, let alone commercial enterprise.
   
• We'll need to ask you some questions that may seem prying or unrelated to your request. As a free service, we need to report to various government agencies and foundations that pay for the assistance you're receiving. So please be patient and understanding when we ask you, for instance, about your race or ethnic background, about your household size or about your income. We need this information for statistical purposes; it will never be disclosed in connection with your identity unless needed to qualify you for some special service, in which case we'll explain first.

If you have a special reason why you don't want to answer a particular question, we may be able to help you anyway. Feel free to ask. But without at least your name and some other basic information, we may be able to give you only very general information, because we need to make sure we're not advising both sides of a potential conflict.