The RegistryPractice Area · Statewide
Find Civil Rights Lawyers in California
Counsel when the state or an institution crosses the line. This is the statewide record for civil rights in California: every attorney on the State Bar of California's official roll whose published practice reaches this area, shown in neutral directory order.
Californians search this field under many names · civil rights attorney, civil rights lawyer, police misconduct lawyer, police brutality attorney, discrimination attorney · and the registry answers all of them from the same source. Below: the governing deadline with its citation, what to weigh as you read the record, the questions Californians ask with the code sections that answer them, and civil rights coverage county by county, from Del Norte to San Diego.
The clock & the craft
Section 1983 claims borrow California's two-year personal injury period.
42 U.S.C. § 1983 / Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1
Claims against California public entities under state law require a government claim within six months (Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2). Bane Act and Unruh Act claims follow their underlying tort periods.
Reading the roster
Civil rights litigation is procedurally unforgiving, six-month government claims, qualified immunity motions, and federal-versus-state forum choices decide cases before the merits. Look for attorneys who practice § 1983 and Bane Act work specifically, ask about their experience with the county's federal district court, and preserve everything early: body-camera footage requests, medical records, and witness names. Fee-shifting statutes (42 U.S.C. § 1988, Civ. Code § 52.1(i)) make contingency representation common.
Civil Rights · statewide roster
4,753 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list civil rights among their practice areas, with an address of record in 48 of California's 58 counties.
4,609 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The largest county rosters are Los Angeles (1,645), San Francisco (561), Alameda (463), San Diego (431) and Orange (345).
43 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
433 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.
Civil Rights matters in California
The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.
- police misconduct and excessive force
- wrongful arrest and false imprisonment
- jail and prison conditions
- housing discrimination
- disability access (ADA and Unruh Act)
- First Amendment and free speech
- discrimination by businesses and public agencies
- Section 1983 claims
- Bane Act claims
- government accountability
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Civil Rights questions, cited
How long do I have to sue for police misconduct in California?
Federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 borrow California's two-year personal injury statute (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1), running from the violation. But parallel state-law claims against an officer's employing agency require a written government claim within six months under Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2: the deadline that catches most people off guard.
What is the Bane Act?
Cal. Civ. Code § 52.1: California's civil rights enforcement statute. It creates a claim against anyone who interferes, or attempts to interfere, by threat, intimidation, or coercion with rights secured by federal or state law. It is frequently pleaded alongside § 1983 in excessive-force cases because it authorizes actual damages, a statutory minimum, treble damages, and attorney fees, and reaches state actors without federal qualified-immunity doctrine.
What does the Unruh Civil Rights Act protect?
Full and equal access to the services of every business establishment in California, regardless of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, and other protected characteristics (Cal. Civ. Code § 51). Violations carry a statutory minimum of $4,000 per offense plus attorney fees (Civ. Code § 52), and every ADA access violation is automatically an Unruh violation (Civ. Code § 51(f)).
Can I sue a city or county in California?
Yes, but state-law claims require presenting a written claim to the entity within six months of the injury (Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2); suit follows only after rejection, within the time stated in Gov. Code § 945.6. Federal § 1983 claims are exempt from the claim requirement, but municipal liability demands proof of an official policy or custom under Monell v. Dept. of Social Services (1978) 436 U.S. 658.
What counts as housing discrimination in California?
Refusing to rent or sell, imposing different terms, or making housing unavailable based on protected characteristics, including source of income such as Section 8 vouchers, violates the Fair Employment and Housing Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 12955) and the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604). Complaints may be filed with the California Civil Rights Department or pursued directly in court.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Civil Rights in all 58 counties
Civil Rights by city
Adjacent shelves of the law
Full Civil Rights rosters, by surname
If cost is the concern
Court self-help, legal-aid organizations and attorney-stated fee options, with source links. No account or case submission is needed to use them.
Read the record. Then decide.
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Find Your Counsel278,688 attorneys · 58 counties · Official State Bar records