mission

ALRP’s mission is to help people with HIV/AIDS maintain or improve their health by resolving their legal issues.

ALRP accomplishes this mission by providing free and low-cost legal services to people with HIV/AIDS in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ALRP is the only institution in the San Francisco Bay Area solely dedicated to providing free and low-cost legal assistance and education on virtually any civil matter to persons living with HIV/AIDS. This includes such widely disparate areas as housing, bankruptcy/credit, immigration, employment, insurance, confidentiality matters, family law, government benefits, and public accommodations. We accomplish this mission through either direct representation of clients by one of ALRP’s seven attorneys or by careful placement of clients with one of ALRP’s 700 Panel attorneys.

Founded in 1983, ALRP has handled over 60,000 legal matters for our clients over the last 29 years. Our goals are to provide legal counsel and representation on often-complex legal matters with respect to HIV/AIDS for a community of individuals often least able to afford it, and to leverage the resources of the private bar for the public good. In the process, we increase resources dedicated to the public interest through the private market, and we increase the skill and capacity of the legal community to handle the intricacies of HIV/AIDS-related law and representation.

In 2011, ALRP helped 1,469 people with HIV/AIDS with 2,240 legal matters, successfully leveraged over $1.5 million in donated legal services, and provided legal training for approximately 210 attorneys.

We are committed to doing our part in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
At ALRP, we know it is not just about people’s legal issues - it’s about people’s lives.

ALRP at a Glance

Founded: 1983 – ALRP is now in our 29th year of service.
Executive Director: Bill Hirsh
Staff: 11 full-time
Board of Directors: 25
Volunteer Panel Attorneys: Over 700
Number of Cases Handled since 1983: 60,000
Number of People with HIV/AIDS in the SF Bay area: More than 18,000
Percentage of Clients with Incomes Less Than $20,000/yr.: 75%
Percentage of Clients from Communities of Color: 49%
Annual Operating Budget: $1,050,121.00
Percent of Budget from Sources other than Government Grants: 53%
Number of Counties Served: 7