Family & Children’s Law Center: Forty Years of Safety,Stability, and Access to Justice in Marin
About the Organization
For four decades, the Family & Children’s Law Center has been one of Marin County’s most important access-to-justice organizations, providing affordable legal assistance to families, children, survivors of domestic violence, caregivers, and immigrant youth facing some of the most consequential legal matters of their lives.
Founded in 1985, the organization began as the Family Law Center and later became the Family & Children’s Law Center (“FACLC”) in 2003, reflecting its expanded commitment to children as well as families in crisis. Today, FACLC provides low-cost legal services in domestic violence protection, child custody and support, family law, guardianship, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status matters.
In conversations with board member Marc Schreiber and longtime employee and former client Shawna Hoch, one theme came through clearly: FACLC is not merely a legal services provider. It is a place where Marin residents in crisis can find a safe space, an advocate, and the reassurance that they do not have to face the legal system alone.
Marc, who joined the board after helping FACLC modernize its operations and technology, described an organization with a long history and an urgent present. “Demand is still really high for our services,” Marc said, regarding the continuing need for FACLC in the Marin community. Although the organization is in a period of transition, including the search for a new executive director and the rebuilding of a broader pro bono program, Marc emphasized that FACLC is moving forward. The doors are open, the need is significant, and the organization is actively seeking attorneys, board members, and volunteers who can help strengthen its next chapter.
The services FACLC provides are both practical and deeply personal. For parents and spouses, FACLC assists with child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, divorce and separation, and parentage matters. For survivors and families facing immediate safety concerns, the organization helps clients seek domestic violence restraining orders, civil harassment prevention orders, and emergency court orders. For caregivers and children, FACLC assists with probate guardianships, stepparent adoptions, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status-related matters for undocumented children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent.
That work matters because the gap between needing legal help and being able to afford it remains enormous. FACLC’s model is designed to meet families where they are. The organization offers consultations and ongoing services on an income-based sliding scale, with initial attorney appointments listed at $0 to $50 depending on income and additional appointments ranging from $0 to $300. FACLC also assists clients with paperwork, filing and serving documents, and court representation when needed.
Shawna Hoch understands FACLC’s impact from both sides of the desk. She first came to the organization as a client in need of support related to domestic violence and child support. She did not have substantial resources, but she had urgent legal needs. FACLC helped her get the support she needed. A few years later, she learned of an opportunity to work for the organization, and she has now been part of FACLC since 2000. After many years in a full-time role, she now serves part-time as administrative director, handling bookkeeping, human resources, and operations while also working for the San Rafael City Schools.
For Shawna, the work is personal. She knows the fear and confusion that can come with walking into a legal system that feels inaccessible, especially for clients who are immigrants, survivors, parents, or caregivers trying to protect children. She has watched Marin County change over the years, becoming more diverse and more complex, and she sees how many families come to FACLC with legal needs that are often intertwined with immigration concerns, poverty, language barriers, trauma, or fear of institutions.
What makes FACLC different, Shawna explained, is representation. Other resources may provide information or self-help, but FACLC can provide direct legal services and court advocacy in domestic violence and family law matters. Having someone show up in court with a client, explain the process, speak on the client’s behalf, and help the client understand what is happening can be transformative. It creates a more equitable path through a system that can otherwise feel overwhelming.
“Every client we are able to serve is leaving their situation better than when they walked through the doors,” Shawna said. For her, being part of that impact is a privilege.
FACLC and the MCBA Welcomes Pilar Espinosa
FACLC’s bilingual capacity is central to its mission. The organization’s website notes that services are available in English and Spanish. FACLC’s newest staff attorney, Pilar Espinosa, will further expand that reach.
Ms. Espinosa brings an extraordinary combination of legal expertise, courtroom experience, and deep cultural and linguistic competency to the organization. In addition to practicing law, she is also a California Certified Court Interpreter. Her background includes a Juris Doctor from the University of Buenos Aires, with a specialization in international law, and an LL.M. from UC Berkley School of Law with a certificate in Public Law and Regulation.
Pilar has interpreted and worked in San Francisco and San Mateo Superior Courts, serving families in Juvenile, Family, Probate, Criminal, and Traffic proceedings. She has also worked extensively in immigration law and family-related matters, including child support and dissolution cases.
Her path from international legal education to certified court interpreter to California attorney gives her a rare and holistic understanding of the justice system. As a native Spanish and English speaker, Pilar will play a vital role in expanding FACLC’s ability to serve Marin County’s diverse families with accessibility, compassion, and cultural sensitivity.
FACLC’s Current Needs
FACLC’s needs are significant. Marc and Shawna both described the organization as rebuilding its infrastructure for long-term sustainability. That includes recruiting an executive director, growing a more robust pro bono program, welcoming volunteer attorneys, and adding board members with the skills and commitment to help guide the organization. FACLC’s website notes that it is seeking board members with experience in fundraising, accounting, or marketing and communications.
For members of the Marin County Bar Association, this is a meaningful opportunity to serve. FACLC welcomes law students, attorneys, paralegals, legal professionals, and community volunteers. Attorneys can assist with representation, court appearances, legal filings, and pro bono matters; paralegals and legal professionals can help with filings, case management, intake, and document preparation; and non-lawyer volunteers can support administrative and client-service needs. FACLC’s mission is especially important in a county often perceived as affluent, but where many families still live with acute financial insecurity and limited access to legal representation. The organization’s donation page states that 95% of its clients rely on public assistance, and that donations help provide legal consultations, restraining order assistance, and court representation for vulnerable children. FACLC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Those who wish to support FACLC can donate through the organization’s donation page or directly through its online donation portal. Attorneys and community members interested in volunteering may review FACLC’s volunteer page and contact Shawna Hoch at shoch@faclc.org.
For 40 years, the Family & Children’s Law Center has helped Marin families find safety, stability, and a way forward. But FACLC cannot do this work alone. Its continued success depends on the support of Marin’s legal community: attorneys willing to take pro bono matters, lawyers and professionals willing to serve on the board, volunteers willing to help rebuild and expand the organization’s capacity, and donors willing to invest in access to justice. With that support, FACLC can continue ensuring that Marin County’s most vulnerable families are not left to navigate the legal system by themselves.
Marisa Chaves
Hanson Family Law Group Marisa Chaves has spent the majority of her more than 20-year career in litigation, practicing civil litigation before transitioning to family law. She now specializes in high-net-worth divorce at Hanson Crawford Crum Family Law Group, LLP, where she represents venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, private equity partners, CEOs and other C-suite executives, startup founders, and stay-at-home parents. Originally from Texas, Marisa earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from Boston University School of Law. She is actively involved in the legal community, serving on the boards of the Marin County Bar Association, Association of Latino Marin Attorneys, and the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association.
