President and Founder Jeff Hughes created Legal Grind in 1995 in Santa Monica, California. Jeff Hughes, a licensed 
attorney in California and Colorado, combines his legal expertise with his innovative approach to public service. The mission of Legal Grind is to provide the public with low-cost and task-specific legal services through easy access to experienced and competent attorneys in an informal environment. Jeff's primary objective is to change the public's generally negative perception of lawyers through Legal Grind by building customer trust and loyalty and reaching out to the community. This is reflected in Legal Grind's core values called C.I.V.I.C.S. To read more about our core values click here. Legal Grind has served more than 20,000 clients since it opened its doors to the public in 1996.
"At a time when lawyers are looked upon with disfavor by so many people, it is good to have someone like Jeff out there to show that there are lawyers who have the best interests of the community at heart." Bryan Hull, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School.
Legal Grind is a legal resource center within a cafe like atmosphere that combines a storefront lawyer referral service, document preparation, self-help law books, and notary services with a coffee bar. Founder Jeff Hughes works with a network of lawyers, hand picking reputable attorneys from the local legal community to volunteer time at the Legal Grind every afternoon. A "Coffee and Counsel®" schedule of attorneys and their areas of expertise are posted daily. In addition, self-help law books and other resources are available to the public at no charge.
The Legal Grind has become a media favorite and well known for offering a fresh alternative to the traditional law experience in a friendly and inviting environment. Legal Grind was the 2001 recipient for the American Bar Association's Louis M. Brown Award for legal access, an award given to a program that assists people in the resolution of their legal problems in innovative ways. Jeff was a noted speaker at the 2000 Unbundled Law Conference.
Check out some of our most recent press in JD Jungle Magazine, the LawCrossing.com Website, the International Herald Tribune and IHT.com Website, The New York Times and nytimes.com Website, and the Der Spiegel.de Website.
The Legal Grind® seeks to provide legal assistance to middle class people with ordinary problems. Poor people have access to legal aid organizations and the wealthy have access to elite corporate attorneys. When middle class working people have legal questions, however, they really do not know where to turn. They don't have a lot of money to pay a lawyer and they may not even know a lawyer.
At the Legal Grind®, working people can obtain answers to questions without paying a large sum of money and can also find out where to go to resolve more complicated disputes. Sometimes, they may find that they can solve their problems themselves through reading a self-help law book. They can also have "Coffee & Counsel®" with an attorney on the premises; an attorney with a different area of expertise will be at the Legal Grind® on a regular basis.
It is hoped that the Legal Grind® will improve the impression that the general public has of lawyers. It emphasizes the fact that the legal profession is a service profession. People will feel more comfortable dealing with lawyers in the atmosphere of a friendly coffeehouse than in an austere law office. Conferring with an attorney over good coffee and pastries will make people realize that lawyers are people too! In addition, at the Legal Grind® people will often know the amount they will pay for legal services before the services are rendered, just as they know what they will pay for a cup of coffee before they order. At many law firms, the amount that will be charged is not clear until after the services are rendered, at which time the client receives an unpleasant aftertaste. The Legal Grind® seeks to leave its customers with a pleasant aftertaste, whether it is bagels or legal services that have been consumed!
