Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lana Kleiman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
Yes, Charleston Legal Access (CLA) proudly serves an underserved—and too often invisible—community: working-class and low-income individuals and families across South Carolina who fall into the “justice gap.” These are people who earn too much to qualify for free legal aid, but not enough to afford private attorneys. With 63.7% of South Carolinians living below 400% of the federal poverty line, the need for affordable legal help is urgent. In areas like immigration, housing, and civil law, the options are few to none. That’s why CLA exists—to ensure that access to justice is a right, not a privilege.
Nowhere is the need more critical than in immigration law. While Charleston County’s Latinx population grew by 55% between 2010 and 2020—and even faster in Berkeley and Dorchester Counties—South Carolina has virtually no nonprofit providers offering full-scope removal defense, asylum, or humanitarian relief. For years, CLA received desperate calls we couldn’t answer. In 2025, we finally launched our Immigration Project to change that.
In its first few months, the project has already helped asylum seekers fleeing persecution, parents at risk of deportation, and survivors of trafficking and violence. At our Power of Attorney and Family Preparedness Clinic, CLA helped 31 individuals create emergency legal plans—ensuring that if a parent is detained or deported, their children won’t be left behind without care or legal protections.
In addition to our immigration work, CLA also addresses the urgent legal needs of families in housing and civil matters. We recently represented a young mother of two facing eviction after a dispute with her landlord. With no legal representation and just days before losing her home, she came to CLA. Thanks to our Housing Court team, she received emergency legal support and was able to remain housed. It’s stories like this that led CLA to expand Housing Court services into two counties and continue our advocacy for eviction prevention across the region.
We also partner with community-based organizations, like HALOS, which support kinship caregivers—relatives caring for children when parents are unable. One such family, the Normans, received a devastating call: their two young nephews were in the hospital after their parents died suddenly. The boys were released to them without any documentation, and the Normans had no legal authority to enroll them in school or take them to the doctor. After being turned away by multiple attorneys, they were referred to HALOS, which connected them with CLA. With our help, they navigated the court system and obtained permanent custody. Today, those boys are thriving in a safe, stable home filled with love—and legal security.
Another client, Heather, illustrates the depth and breadth of our civil legal work. She and her husband, Ben, moved to South Carolina in search of stability. But just weeks after buying their “dream home,” a seven-month-old roof failed, unleashing years of devastating mold damage. Heather, who is disabled, became severely ill. As structural issues worsened, so did their medical bills, stress, and fear. Over four years, they spent more than $165,000 in repairs. With CLA’s help, they confronted the sellers, held them accountable, and secured enough funds to finish the repairs—without sacrificing Heather’s health care or going into financial ruin.
“We would not have been able to fight for this without CLA. We were scraping by, and our attorney cared—not just about the case, but about us as people.”
In 2024 alone, CLA served 202 households through direct legal representation and helped nearly 500 tenants avoid eviction. And the need continues to grow.
As South Carolina’s only nonprofit sliding-scale law firm and the only provider offering this depth of immigration legal support, CLA plays a unique and critical role in our state. Our mission is rooted in the belief that justice keeps people out of poverty, strengthens families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and uplifts entire communities.
In a time when working families face mounting legal challenges and immigrant families face growing fear, our presence matters more than ever.
At CLA, we’re not just providing legal help—we’re preserving dignity, preventing financial hardship, protecting futures, and building a more just Lowcountry. One case at a time.
Lana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m the Executive Director of Charleston Legal Access (CLA), South Carolina’s first and only nonprofit sliding-scale law firm. Our mission is to expand access to justice for working-class and low-income families who fall into the “justice gap”—people who make too much to qualify for free legal aid, but not enough to hire a private attorney. These are parents fighting for custody, tenants trying to stay in their homes, immigrants seeking safety, and survivors of domestic violence looking for protection. At CLA, we provide affordable, high-quality legal services to help people navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
My path to this work wasn’t linear, but it was deeply personal. I’m a first-generation American and the daughter of Russian immigrants, so I’ve always understood how confusing and overwhelming the legal system can feel—especially for people without resources or support. After law school, I began my career at a large corporate law firm in New York. But because of the 2008 recession, I had a rare opportunity to spend a year doing public interest work in the Immigrant Protection Unit at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). That experience changed everything. I found my passion working directly with clients—helping people access safety, stability, and justice. I later joined NYLAG full time, representing survivors of domestic violence and coordinating outreach to underserved communities, including the Orthodox Jewish community in New York City.
When I moved to Charleston in 2017, I knew I wanted to stay rooted in public interest work and contribute to my new community. I accepted the role of Executive Director at CLA, even though I had no formal leadership or fundraising experience. I just knew I believed deeply in the mission, and I was ready to learn. Since then, we’ve grown from a staff of three to a team of nine, quadrupled our budget, launched Housing Court programs in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and expanded into family and immigration law. We’ve helped thousands of South Carolinians access legal help they otherwise couldn’t afford—and we’re just getting started.
What sets CLA apart is that we were created specifically to fill a void in the legal system. There are very few resources for the “missing middle”—people who don’t qualify for legal aid but can’t afford private lawyers. That’s where we come in. We use a sliding-scale model, charge rates people can afford, and make sure no one faces the legal system alone simply because of their income.
What I’m most proud of is the way we show up for our clients—with compassion, creativity, and commitment. We don’t just handle cases; we walk alongside people during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Every time we prevent an eviction, help a survivor secure a protective order, or guide an immigrant family through a complex legal process, we’re helping someone regain control of their future. In addition, I am also proud of what we’ve built over the past nine years. We’ve grown Charleston Legal Access into a sustainable, thriving organization that responds to real needs in our community. We don’t operate in a silo—we work hand-in-hand with community-based organizations to fill service gaps and deliver holistic, wraparound support to the people who need it most. CLA has become a trusted, credible resource where clients can turn for solutions, empathy, and justice. We’ve built something enduring—an organization that reflects the dignity of the people we serve and meets them where they are, with the legal support they deserve.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple belief: Justice shouldn’t depend on your income, your zip code, or where you’re from. That belief drives me every day—and it’s what CLA is all about.
Any advice for managing a team?
The foundation of strong team morale is making sure people feel seen, heard, and valued. I try to check in with my team regularly—not just about tasks or deadlines, but about how they’re doing personally and professionally. Creating space for both positive and constructive feedback ensures that everyone feels heard and supported, and it helps build trust.
I also believe in celebrating wins, both big and small. Whether it’s grabbing coffee, bringing in lunch, or sending a quick thank-you message, small gestures go a long way. Acknowledging someone’s hard work publicly and showing them that their contributions matter builds a culture of appreciation.
It’s also important to be clear about expectations and hold space for accountability. I make sure our team sets goals, understands what success looks like, and checks in regularly on progress—not to micromanage, but to help everyone grow and thrive in their role.
Finally, I constantly remind our team that each person’s work is essential to the mission. Whether someone is handling intake calls, representing a client in court, or managing operations behind the scenes, their role is critical to expanding access to justice. When people feel connected to purpose and to one another, that’s where morale truly thrives.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Authenticity and passion have been the cornerstones of building my reputation. When I moved to Charleston, I didn’t know a single person in the legal community. I hadn’t gone to law school in South Carolina, I hadn’t clerked here, and I hadn’t practiced here. I left my legal career in New York behind and had to start completely from scratch. When I took the role at Charleston Legal Access, I was essentially a nobody in this market.
It wasn’t easy—but I showed up with consistency, humility, and a deep belief in CLA’s mission. I worked hard, stayed persistent, and was honest about who I was and why this work matters to me. I didn’t try to be someone I wasn’t; instead, I leaned into my values, shared my goals openly, and focused on building genuine relationships. I believe people can sense when you’re truly passionate and when your intentions are clear—and that’s what ultimately helped me gain trust and credibility.
To this day, I stay grounded in that same approach: be real, be kind, be clear about what you’re trying to do—and always be willing to help someone out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.charlestonlegalaccess.org/
- Instagram: @charlestonlegalaccess
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlestonlegalaccess/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-kleiman-17a9a042/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@charlestonlegalaccess1793
Image Credits
Chrisman Studios