Volunteer

Community Legal Aid SoCal is home to a vibrant volunteer and intern community! We host several volunteer positions year-round. We currently host several remote volunteer opportunities and are working to develop more.

Please click here to learn about all the ways you can get involved with us as a private attorney.

We welcome volunteers with varying expertise and experience to better serve our clients and support our efforts to deliver our mission. We make every effort to match individuals with opportunities based on their qualifications and indicated areas of interest, and strongly encourage individuals who are fluent in foreign languages to apply. Please review the following positions carefully, as requirements differ greatly between positions.

Please be advised that volunteer applicants for the Health unit positions must be willing to undergo a Live Scan background check to be considered for a position. This process can be lengthy so we recommend you apply for a volunteer position 1-2 months in advance of your desired start date.

The Process:

When your application is submitted, it is sent through to our pro bono coordinator. Please note that we receive several applications each day and are not always able to find a place for everyone. If you are not selected, we encourage you to check back again for new opportunities.

If you are selected, you will either receive a call or email from our pro bono coordinator.

The average time it takes to complete this application is 10-15 minutes.

Volunteer opportunities are below. (If you are looking for employment opportunities, click here.)

Community Legal Aid SoCal is committed to creating and cultivating an exceptional and diverse cohort of summer law clerks. We welcome applicants who bring a variety of perspectives, lived experiences and competencies. CLA SoCal will ensure that each summer clerk receives a minimum summer stipend amount of $10,000 either from their law school, our organization or a combination of sources. The CLA SoCal summer program is 10 weeks, full-time (35 hours a week) and is scheduled to begin on May 27, 2025. Our 2025 program will be hybrid with flexible in-person and remote options depending on space and unit needs.

CLA SoCal is dedicated to meeting the legal needs of the greatest number of low-income people throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties. With an emphasis on innovation, language access, and a holistic approach to client care, we deliver services in the following practice areas: family, housing, health, expungement, immigration, public benefits, consumer defense, domestic violence, seniors and complex litigation.

Summer law clerks will develop a broad understanding of the issues facing low–income and underserved communities in and around Southeast Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Law clerks will have client contact and a heavy emphasis will be placed on housing, family safety related case work.

Summer clerks will be placed in one of our legal units to work the entirety of the summer program. The law clerks will work under the direct supervision of one attorney and gain in-depth experience in a specific legal area and exposure to additional areas if desired. Law clerks will complete at least one assignment that can be used as a writing sample and participate in weekly lunch time group learning activities, a live client clinic and several in-person social activities throughout the summer. Opportunities for placement in our legal units may include: housing, family law, expungement, seniors, health access, immigration, consumer law, complex litigation and public benefits.

CLA SoCal will be conducting all local interviews virtually through the Southern California Public Interest Public Sector Career Day on February 8, 2025. If you are a student at a member school, you should apply for a summer law clerk position through this method. Contact your career center for more information.

Beginning January 13, 2025, CLA SoCal will accept summer law clerk applications from out of state and non-local law students. To apply please send your cover letter and resume to Attn: Director of Pro Bono, Monica Mar, at probono@clsocal.org. Students with ties to our service areas (Orange County and Southeast Los Angeles) and/or bi-lingual Spanish or Vietnamese fluency are encouraged to apply.

Learn more about the law clerk experience at Community Legal Aid SoCal:

We have a great need for experienced volunteer attorneys in several legal areas (listed below). For attorneys interested in volunteering in a new area of law, we offer training and supervision and are working to develop additional virtual trainings and volunteer opportunities in response to changing community needs.

Currently, we have a need for volunteer attorneys in the following areas:

Housing (unlawful detainer defense)
Seniors Legal Assistance
Public Benefits
Unemployment Benefits
Conservatorship
Family Law
Health Access

Qualifications:

Currently licensed to practice law in California or awaiting bar exam results
Desire to assist CLA SoCal’s diverse, low-income clients
Ability to participate in training (if no prior experience in legal practice area selected)

To Apply:

  1. Send resume/cover letter to Maricela Nunez, Pro Bono Coordinator, at probono@clsocal.org
  2. Fill out the general volunteer application below

Vietnamese-speaking interpreter needed for assisting the needs of our intake and clinic services. Volunteer should be proficient in written and spoken Vietnamese and English.

Qualifications:

  • Proficient written and spoken Vietnamese and English
  • Willingness to take a language proficiency test
  • Legal background a plus

To Apply:

  1. Send resume/cover letter to Maricela Nunez, Pro Bono Coordinator, at probono@clsocal.org
  2. Fill out the general volunteer application below

Assist low-income tenants facing eviction by helping to prepare answers to Unlawful Detainer complaints in this remote clinic that takes place twice a week. Volunteers and clients “meet” via a conference call, and housing staff attorneys are available to provide real-time assistance in a video conference room for the duration of the clinic.

Volunteers may elect to continue pro bono representation of the client in demurrer hearings, motions for summary judgment, and even trial – though there is no obligation to do so beyond the clinic.

Volunteer Opportunity For: Attorneys, Experienced Paralegals (bar waiters and non-CA attorneys also welcome)
Opportunity Type: Remote Limited-Scope Clinic
Time Commitment: Approximately 3 hour shift
Clinic Schedule: Every Tuesday & Thursday, shifts at 9:00am; 10:00 am; 1:00pm

To Apply:

  1. Email Maricela Nunez, Pro Bono Coordinator, at mnunez@clsocal.org

Interested in volunteering?