Pro Bono Opportunities
The Law Foundation Pro Bono is all virtual and participation is covered under the Law Foundation’s malpractice insurance. The time commitment varies but many opportunities are limited scope, approximately 3-5 hours. Opportunities exist for both lawyers and non-lawyers.
Training and Support
The Law Foundation will provide you with the training and support needed to effectively represent your pro bono client. All volunteers will receive online training and support materials when they accept a pro bono case. In addition, the Law Foundation will assign one of our expert attorneys to serve as a mentor, providing support through the duration of the case.
Professional Development
Volunteering on a case is an excellent opportunity to develop legal skills. Pro bono attorneys gain experience interviewing clients, providing advice, completing required forms and pleadings, and in some situations representing clients in court.
Ongoing Programs
Security Deposit Project
For many of our clients, recovering their security deposit can determine whether they secure another place to live or become homeless. Pro bono attorneys can play a critical role in helping tenants recover their deposit. Tenants are entitled to get their security deposits back within 21 days after they move out. Their landlord must send either the full security deposit or an itemized statement of deductions for any remaining balance. Unfortunately, many landlords take advantage of low-income tenants, especially those with limited English proficiency and/or disabilities, by refusing to return their security deposit or taking out frivolous deductions.
In this Project, trained pro bono attorneys help tenants write demand letters to send to their landlords and prepare Small Claims Court forms in case the landlord doesn’t respond to the demand letter. Pro bono attorneys may also help the tenant negotiate with the landlord. If the tenant files in Small Claims Court, pro bono attorneys help the client with talking points and exhibits to prepare them for the hearing. The Law Foundation provides MCLE training with an overview of security deposit law and the Small Claims Court process to enable pro bono attorneys to assist clients who seek the return of their security deposit from their landlord.
Virtual opportunity for licensed attorneys in any state; 5-10 hour, limited-scope commitment.
Name and Gender Marker Change Project
Identity documents are an important part of daily life—working, voting, traveling, accessing government institutions, and proving who you are. Having an ID that reflects one’s name and gender identity is especially important to access resources and public spaces and reduce the risk of abuse and harassment when having to show an ID. But because each document is overseen by a different government office, the process of updating identity documents to reflect a corrected name and gender marker after receiving a court order can be overwhelming. In response, we’ve created a two-part project to remove hurdles from an incredibly important and affirming outcome.
Two Options (volunteers can do one or both):
Help Obtain Court Order: Trained pro bono volunteers help clients complete necessary forms to petition the court for a name and/or gender marker change. A mentor attorney reviews the completed court forms and provides support to the pro bono volunteer. The Law Foundation then efiles the court forms for the client. Each pro bono volunteer should watch this Elimination of Bias MCLE webinar about how to interview transgender clients seeking to obtain a court-ordered name and gender marker change and how to fill out the forms to petition the court.
Identity Document Change: Support a client changing up to 4 main ID documents to match their new name and gender maker: Social Security card, Birth Certificate, Driver’s License/ID, and Passport. Volunteers assist a client in navigating what can be an intimidating and highly procedural process. Provide help drafting forms, remotely scheduling appointments, identifying required supporting documentation, and explaining the next steps to the client to fill out the forms to petition the court.
Virtual opportunity; Attorneys (any state license) and non-attorneys; 3-5-hour, limited-scope commitment for each option.
““ I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to you & the Law Foundation team & the lawyers who dedicated their time at the name & gender change clinic! It was such a useful resource and it was so valuable to have folks there who knew what they were doing to guide me through the process. I felt extremely supported. Please share my gratitude with your team!””
School Discipline Project
Many youth, particularly youth of color, are unfairly subjected to zero-tolerance policies and the harsh punishment of expulsion when accused of misbehaving in school. When expelled, students are removed from their learning environment and are more likely to fall behind, receive lower grades, and drop out. Pro bono attorneys can positively influence a child’s life by representing a student in discipline proceedings, ensuring their right to a public education is adequately protected. We provide online training for MCLE credit and pair volunteers with a mentor attorney.
Attorneys (any state license) 7–20-hour, limited-scope commitment.
As Needed Programs
Guardianship Representation Project
When children in our community are not able to live with a parent because of death, incarceration, abuse or neglect, pro bono attorneys can help a child achieve safety and stability by representing the youth or prospective guardian in a guardianship proceeding. Regardless of your level of experience, you have the tools to help a child achieve stability. Most first-time pro bono attorneys do not have a background in probate guardianship law. We provide the training and reference materials you will need to handle a guardianship case. Once you accept a case, you will be assigned an experienced Law Foundation attorney to answer your questions and provide technical support throughout the process.
California licensed attorneys. Requires 2 simple court appearances over about a 3-4 month period.
Foster Youth Stability and Empowerment
For several years, the Law Foundation has been at the forefront of addressing foster youth credit identity theft by helping current and former foster youth obtain credit reports and resolve credit identity theft with the help of pro bono attorneys. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, identity theft has increased dramatically, and our clients are experiencing other forms of identity theft. To meet this community need, we expanded our pro bono services to assist clients with tax, unemployment, and public benefits identity theft, in addition to credit ID theft. *Tax attorneys are especially needed to counsel and advise youth who are victims of tax fraud.
Virtual opportunity; attorneys (any state license) and non-attorneys, ~5-hour, limited-scope commitment.
One-Time Projects
The Law Foundation has the need for legal research assistance and technical support in areas such as data collection and public records requests. We also have the occasional need for advice and counsel to clients in areas such as estate planning and civil litigation.
Co-Counsel Opportunities
The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley has a long history of partnering with law firms on impact litigation cases to create critical systems change. The Law Foundation relies on pro bono attorneys and law firms to enable us to achieve equity and justice through litigation. Through the efforts of our pro bono attorneys, the Law Foundation effectively leverages resources to handle significant and impactful litigation matters that our staffing capacity ordinarily might not allow.
Contact
For more information about the Law Foundation's pro bono opportunities, please email us at probono.info@lawfoundation.org.