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.

1985

Panel Attorney Tim Halloran reflects on what his work with ALRP was like in the early days: “It was the grateful look, the shaky handshake of an emaciated young man who was holding your hand, with no gloves, no masks, and no fear.”

1986

Clint Hockenberry joins ALRP as its first paid staff member. ALRP grows from a grassroots community of concerned attorneys to an established lawyer referral service.

1987

ALRP’s AIDS Community Outreach Program is started to better serve people of color, children, women, injection drug users, non-native English speakers, and the homeless.

ALRP serves 1,378 clients, with over half needing assistance with wills and powers of attorney.

1988

ALRP hosts the first national AIDS Law Conference, inspiring similar panels nationwide, and publishes the first editions of the AIDS Law Handbook and Social Security Self-Help Manual.

ALRP’s budget is $93,672.

1989

The Annual Reception raises $34,000, and founder Gary James Wood is presented the 1989 State Bar President’s Pro Bono Award. ALRP serves 1,750 clients.

1990

ALRP 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. The annual reception raises $48,000 – 25% of ALRP’s annual budget.

1991

ALRP establishes its Public Policy Program and hires Paul DiDonato as its first Director of Public Policy.

ALRP becomes the first legal organization to receive the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in serving people with HIV.

1992

Clint Hockenberry dies as a result of AIDS only weeks after his retirement. Benefits Advocate Kristin Chambers is named ALRP’s second executive director.

1993

ALRP’s Public Policy Program issues papers on confidentiality, contact tracing, and managed care. ALRP also advocates for national health care and Social Security reform to provide expanded, fair, and adequate access to benefits.

President Bill Clinton sends congratulations on ALRP’s 10th anniversary.

1994

Eileen Hansen joins ALRP as its second Director of Public Policy and launches the annual Women’s Public Policy Advocacy Training to enable women affected by HIV to advocate for positive legislative action on AIDS-related issues.

1994

Rachel Maddow serves as a John Gardner Fellow at ALRP while a student at Stanford.

1996

Benefits Program Director Irwin Keller becomes ALRP’s third Executive Director.

1997

ALRP now has over 600 volunteer attorneys in six counties.

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. The project serves 452 clients.

ALRP publishes its report “Barriers to Health Care for HIV-Positive Women: Deadly Denial.”

1999

35 women attend the Women’s Public Policy Advocacy Training, now in its sixth year. One attendee responds to the question “Did you learn anything new?” on the evaluation form with the answer: “That I am somebody.”

2000

Irwin Keller departs ALRP to pursue a performance career as a founding member of the Kinsey Sicks.

2000

Bill Hirsh becomes ALRP’s fourth Executive Director.

ALRP’s services continue to have a meaningful impact in the community. A client of Panel Attorney James Kaller remarks, “Thanks for your help. You all make dying just a little bit easier.”

2002

Retiring Board member Andrew Mead receives the Clint Hockenberry Award. Andrew dies of AIDS in 2005.

2003

The Immigrant HIV Assistance Project is launched to help clients with immigration-related legal matters, including asylum and naturalization.

ALRP serves 1,496 clients with housing-related cases, making up 36% of all cases.

ALRP’s staff grows to nine. The Annual Reception raises $100,000.

2004

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.

2004

The Federal Government slashes Ryan White funding to San Francisco, causing a 40% cut in ALRP’s revenue. The Board commits to sustaining the organization in spite of significant staff layoffs. Thanks to an outpouring of community support, most of the lost positions are restored in 2005.

To combat funding cuts, ALRP gets creative, launching its Legal Briefs fundraising event. Bill Hirsh remarks, “You know these are desperate times when your fundraising idea is to have an underwear modeling competition.”

2006

The HIV Insurance Protection Project is launched to help ALRP’s growing number of clients with insurance-related legal matters.

The Annual Reception raises $119,000.

2008

Kamala Harris, then District Attorney of San Francisco, is a special guest at ALRP’s Major Donor Reception.

2010

ALRP staff grows to 12 and the Annual Reception raises $132,000. Marti Simon receives the Clint Hockenberry Award, and Michael Bracamontes and Ryan Vlasak are Attorneys of the Year.

The HIV Consumer Advocacy Project is launched to help HIV+ consumers access public healthcare services and mediate disputes with HIV/AIDS service providers.

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.

2012

The Annual Reception raises $140,000, and Boone Callaway receives the Clint Hockenberry Award. The staff grows to 11.

2013

U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi receives the Clint Hockenberry Award for her tireless advocacy for people with HIV/AIDS.

2014

The HIV50+ Project is launched to address the reality that more than half of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area are over the age of 50.

2015

The Annual Reception raises $177,000, and Shawn Matloob is Attorney of the Year. ALRP staff
grows to 15.

Evictions in San Francisco spike to a new high, disproportionately affecting low-income residents and people with disabilities. ALRP handles a record 2,350 legal matters, including 781 housing cases and 247 immigration cases.

2017

John Rosenzweig receives the Clint Hockenberry Award and Sharon Dulberg is Attorney of the Year.

2020

The COVID-19 pandemic upends in-person client and court work. Despite new protocols, remote work, masking, and social distancing, services continue uninterrupted.

2022

Executive Director Bill Hirsh recognized for his longtime leadership roles, receiving the Pride Community Award from SFPRIDE, and the Ruth Brinker Visionary Award from Project Open Hand. ALRP becomes a major beneficiary of the Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation for the first time.

2023

ALRP observes its 40th Anniversary year of service to the HIV community. The Annual Event raises a record $250,000. Cofounders Mark Senick, Carl Wolf, and Fred Hertz join ALRP for a panel discussion on the organization’s history.

2023

Matt Foreman is named to succeed Bill Hirsh as the organization’s fifth executive director.

Outgoing Executive Director Bill Hirsh receives the Catalyst for Change award from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s HIV Advocacy Network and a commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for the far-reaching impact of his commitment and dedication to San Francisco communities.