Are you an attorney seeking an opportunity to give back to the community?

 

Become a Legal Access volunteer!

 

For attorneys

Requirements:

• Must be in good standing with the California State Bar.

  • If you an attorney barred in another state, you must apply for moral character determination with the State Bar and meet additional requirements per California Rules of Court 9.45. 

  • If you are retired or an inactive member of the State Bar, you may volunteer through the California State Bar Pro Bono Practice Program. 

• Complete a Volunteer Enrollment Form

• Email your completed & signed enrollment form and a current resume to Amarilis Medrano at amarilis@acbanet.org. 

 

For law school graduates and paralegals

Legal Access has limited volunteering opportunities for paralegals and law school graduates, please follow the enrollment instructions above and send any questions to amarilis@acbanet.org

 

For law school students

CLASP: Legal Access has volunteering opportunities at our monthly CLASP clinic for intake, handling client flow, and drafting simple letters and forms under the supervision of an attorney. Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese preferred.

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Clinics:

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CLASP: 30-minute legal assistance consultations in all areas of law at our monthly drop-in Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program (CLASP) clinic, where volunteer attorneys work with income-qualified litigants. Intake for remote CLASP clinics is on the first Saturday of the month from 10am - 12pm. Brief attorney consultations will take place later that afternoon.

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General Bankruptcy Clinic: Low-income Californians can get help from experienced volunteer attorneys to file for bankruptcy to resolve debt issues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, assess other debt issues and whether to file for bankruptcy, prepare Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions, and get help after Bankruptcy court.

               

Ch. 7 Bankruptcy Clinic: Legal Access staff attorney assists low-income Californians with filing for bankruptcy to resolve their debt issues. Our expanded goals include assessing low-income clients’ consumer debt issues, helping clients assess whether to file for bankruptcy, supporting in preparing Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions, and assisting with post-filing matters at the Bankruptcy court.  

 

Property Transfer Clinic: Via one-on-one phone consultations, volunteer attorneys provide homeowners with limited-scope advice on matters relating to property transfers including property assessment, exclusions from reassessment, transfer to a revocable trust, transfers to family members, probate, and Proposition 19. This program is a partnership with the Alameda County Assessor’s Office and the Alameda County Law Library. 

 

Low-Income Landlord Clinic: Volunteer attorneys provide limited-scope assistance to low-income landlords in Alameda County unlawful-detainer settlement conference negotiations.

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Family/Spanish Family Law Clinic: One-time legal assistance from a Family Law volunteer attorney on legal rights and help with court paperwork. This clinic is also offered in Spanish.

 

Family Law Day of Court: Volunteer attorneys, in collaboration with the Superior Court and the Self-Help Center, attend family law court proceedings to answer questions and provide procedural assistance to low-income self-represented litigants. This can include correcting or completing court forms, running spousal and child support calculations, drafting orders after hearing, and completing final judgments.

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Family Law Status Conference (FLSC): Legal Access staff and volunteer attorneys assist litigants appearing on special Self-Represented Litigant Family Law Status Conference calendars in a family law department. Clinic staff (the FLSC attorney and Self-Help staff) and volunteer attorneys help low-income litigants understand case procedure and complete or correct necessary forms, with the ultimate goal of assisting litigants in moving their cases to a final resolution, either by completing a judgment or referring the case for trial setting. This facilitates more efficient support to litigants with on-the-spot assistance and by identifying issues early in the process. 

 

Shriver Custody Clinic: Volunteer attorneys represent low-income pro per family law clients at Request for Order hearings on custody and visitation at a weekly clinic. This program provides representation for both parties where both sides are without an attorney.

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Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) Clinic is held in partnership with the Family Violence Center. DV survivors may receive help completing petitions and declarations for restraining order. 

 

Guardianship Workshop is held in partnership with the Self-Help Center and Legal Assistance for Seniors. Partnership staff and volunteer attorneys meet with the litigants one-on-one to fill out the paperwork and instruct them on service. The litigant is able to file their petition as soon as they leave the workshop. 

 

Limited Conservatorship Clinic is held in partnership with the Self-Help Center and Legal Assistance for Seniors. Partnership staff and volunteers help self-represented litigants complete the forms necessary to file a limited conservatorship petition or objection. 

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