Our Story
Originally founded in 1983, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) is dedicated to protecting the rights, dignity, and health of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area. We accomplish this through direct legal representation by one of our Staff attorneys, by careful placement of clients with one of our 285 volunteer Panel attorneys, and by connecting our clients to non-legal service providers to secure other vital resources.
A 40-Year Legacy
1983
The AIDS Legal Referral Panel, the first provider in the nation focused on meeting
the legal needs of people with HIV, is founded by attorneys Frederick Hertz,
Steven Richter, Mark Senick, and Gary James Wood. Organized as a committee
of the LGBT organization Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), the four begin by publicizing a phone number people with AIDS can call and by recruiting other attorneys to join them.
A 40-Year Legacy
1990
ALRP grows from a grassroots community of concerned attorneys to an established lawyer referral service; receives its first government grant through the federal Ryan White CARE Act; and becomes an independent 501(c)(3) organization with its own Board of Directors, led by co-chairs Mark Senick and Paige Wickland.
A 40-Year Legacy
1998
As rising real estate prices leave many in the HIV/AIDS community confronting homelessness, the AIDS Housing Advocacy Project is launched to provide direct legal representation in housing matters.
ALRP publishes its report “Barriers to Health Care for HIV-Positive Women: Deadly Denial.”
A 40-Year Legacy
2004
The Immigrant HIV Assistance Project is launched to help clients with immigration-related legal matters, including asylum and naturalization.
An ALRP client, Gregory Daniels, is awarded nearly $277,000 in a case that proved that his employer, CVS, failed to provide him with the accommodations he needed to manage his health.
A 40-Year Legacy
2012
Longtime Board Member and Panel Attorney Jim Wood takes Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) v. Cooper to the Supreme Court. The case centers on privacy violations by the FAA and Social Security that led to an ALRP client, Stan Cooper, being charged with multiple felonies for not disclosing his HIV status. Although the Supreme Court affirms the original trial court decision dismissing the privacy case, the litigation results in both the FAA and Social Security changing their regulations and policies around how they exchange confidential information.
A 40-Year Legacy
2023
ALRP observes its 40th Anniversary year of service to the HIV community. Cofounders Mark Senick, Carl Wolf, and Fred Hertz join ALRP for a panel discussion on the organization’s history.
Matt Foreman is named to succeed Bill Hirsh as the organization’s fifth executive director.
By the numbers
2025
2,150
Legal matters handled
1,363
Unique clients assisted
85%
Clients expressing satisfaction with ALRP services
