Founded in 1916 as the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco, the LAS-ELC is the oldest nonprofit legal services agency in the West. Since 1970, the organization has focused on assisting working men and women who are living at or below the poverty line. Our mission is to promote the economic stability of low-wage and disadvantaged workers and their families by addressing issues that affect their ability to achieve self-sufficiency. Using the law as a tool, the LAS-ELC helps those who are particularly vulnerable to abuse, discrimination, or exploitation on the job, but who are least likely to know, understand, or assert their rights. By protecting the legitimate employment status of wage earners, we provide families with the means to pull through adverse times, avoid the downward spiral caused by job loss, and be fully contributing members of society.