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The VLSP StoryVolunteer Opportunities for AttorneysTo volunteer with one of our projects, please send an email to vlsp@sfbar.org indicating which project(s) you are interested in. To view upcoming trainings, please visit the VLSP calendar of events. For any other questions, please visit our Contact Us page.
Family LawVLSP's Family Law Project assists low-income individuals and families with family law matters including marital dissolutions, child custody, and child support. The project also assists with related issues such as domestic violence restraining orders, guardianships, conservatorships, wills, and powers of attorney. While the emphasis is on full-scope representation, in which the volunteer takes the case from start to finish, we also have limited scope opportunities to assist clients with specific hearings. All prospective volunteers are required to complete our two-part CLE training in family law. VLSP’s Family Law Assisted Self-Help Project (FLASH) was created to provide assistance, education and information to low-income individuals who represent themselves (in pro per) in Family Court. The supervising attorney is responsible for the continuous development and management of this program aimed at helping litigants with family law matters, including dissolution (divorce), child support, child custody and visitation, spousal support, drafting legal documents and answering questions about the availability of additional community resources. The supervising attorney position is primarily based at the San Francisco Unified Family Court. At this time, there are no volunteer opportunities available through our FLASH project. VLSP receives referrals for uncontested guardianships from the Superior Court's ACCESS center, which assists unrepresented litigants. VLSP assists low-income clients obtain a guardianship of the person (we do not help with guardianships of the estate). Through this project, we assign cases to volunteer attorneys and provide a mentor if necessary. Cases generally require meeting with the client and then filling out the necessary forms and filing with the court. After filing, there will be a hearing in the probate court and then the letters of guardianship are issued. Before you volunteer with this project, you must attend our free CLE training.
Eviction Defense
The Housing Negotiation Project (HNP) is VLSP's limited-scope project for Eviction Defense. Through this project, volunteer attorneys represent low-income individuals and families being evicted during their mandatory settlement conferences. Representation is limited to settlement conferences only. Through this unique project, every individual in need of an attorney receives representation. Volunteer shifts are Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. During one shift, a volunteer will represent one to three clients. It is an excellent opportunity to get valuable negotiation experience without a large time commitment. Volunteers must attend our free CLE training before volunteering for this project. After attending the training, we ask our volunteers commit to four afternoon sessions within six months.
Tax ProjectVLSP's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) assists low-income taxpayers who have tax issues with the IRS, including taxpayers in controversy with the IRS, individuals who have filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court and individuals who need help in obtaining other relief for a tax obligation. LITC also provides assistance to unrepresented litigants who need assistance on the day of the U.S. Tax Court docket call. Experienced tax attorneys, new attorneys supervised by their firm, Certified Public Accountants, or Enrolled Agents can volunteer with this project.
Business Law Project
The Community Organization Representation Project (CORP) assists nonprofit community-based organizations throughout Northern California in a range of transactional business law matters. This project is perfect for experienced transactional attorneys, or new attorneys supervised by their firm. We especially need attorneys experienced in employment, real estate, intellectual property, taxation, liability and insurance, corporate formation/governance, business contracts, finance, and real estate law. Newer attorneys not supervised by a firm can get involved with CORP through assisting new organizations which are in the process of incorporation and applying for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. We provide a CLE training DVD that can be viewed at our office during business hours. We ask that attorneys who taking this free training then take a pro bono client organization within the next year. For more information about this project, visit the CORP Web site.
Federal Pro Bono ProjectThe Federal Pro Bono Project provides assistance to litigants in federal court who do not have legal representation. The supervising attorney of the Project provides information and advice to pro se litigants at our Legal Help Center and arranges pro bono legal representation for litigants that the Court refers to the Project for appointment of counsel. To be referred for placement with a pro bono attorney, a litigant must be in pro per, lack the resources to retain counsel, and have a case that warrants pro bono legal representation. Many of the cases we place involve federal civil rights violations, such as police battery and wrongful arrest under Section 1983, and employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Appointments may be for full-scope representation for the duration of a case or for limited purposes, e.g., up through and including a settlement conference or hearing on a motion to dismiss. Once a judge has issued an order to appoint pro bono counsel, our supervising attorney contacts members of our Federal Pro Bono Panel to find out whether they are interested in taking the appointment. The attorneys on our panel provide a valuable public service to litigants and the Court, but they also benefit from the opportunity to develop their federal practice skills and experience. Judges appreciate their volunteer work and often give constructive feedback, and clients deeply appreciate the access to legal counsel that they could not otherwise afford.
Homeless Advocacy Project
For more information about this project, visit the HAP Web site pages.
Tort DefenseVLSP's Tort Defense Project provides full-scope representation to clients defending themselves against a tort claim. We do not offer training and rely solely on the expertise of the attorney. If you have five or more years of experience in this area, we will simply add you to our Tort Defense panel, and you will be notified whenever we receive available cases. We typically place 1-2 cases a month.
Consumer ProjectThe Consumer Project advises low-income clients at VLSP’s Consumer Debt Defense and Education Clinic (CDDEC). Through our CLE training, volunteer attorneys will be trained on the hot topic of collection defense law in order to assist clients who have been sued by creditors. The CDDEC takes place twice a month, on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-9:00 p.m. At the Clinic, volunteers will have the opportunity to individually counsel clients and possibly draft in pro per litigation documents. Other opportunities may include negotiating on behalf of clients and representing them at hearings or even trial. Training participants are required to staff Debt Defense and Education Clinics a minimum of three times within the next year. Clinic participation is an excellent way to help low-income people deeply impacted by the current economic crisis while learning a relevant area of the law and developing litigation skills.
Legal Advice and Referral ClinicThe Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC) is a walk-in clinic that occurs on the second Saturday of each month at our Downtown San Francisco location (UC Hastings), and on the last Saturday of each month at our Bayview location in San Francisco. At these Clinics, low-income clients are able to receive legal advice and/or referrals from experienced attorneys in various areas of the law. LARC is staffed in part by volunteers who primarily conduct client intakes to determine in what area(s) of law people want advice. The clients are then able to sit with our experienced volunteer attorneys, and receive advice and/or referrals based on their issue.
Medical-Legal ProjectThe VLSP Medical-Legal Project brings legal services to San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point as well as St. Mary’s Medical Center’s Sister Mary Philippa Health Center. The Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood is populated by some of the city's most vulnerable - predominately low-income people living in an underserved and geographically isolated area. VLSP strives to address the tremendous legal need in the Bayview with this innovative Medical-Legal Project. The Sr. Mary Philippa Health Center Medical-Legal Collaborative is a vibrant partnership with Catholic Healthcare West in-house counsel and local law firms bringing legal services to the health center’s low-income patients. By partnering with the Southeast Health Center and Sr. Mary Philippa Health Center, VLSP staff and volunteers provide patients with the legal services needed to ameliorate issues that adversely impact patients’ health, safety and overall well being. The Health Centers’ staff of doctors, nurses, social workers and counselors actively participate in the projects which see a diversity of legal issues including housing rights, eviction defense, public benefits advocacy (SSI, Medi-Cal, and Medicare), consumer and probate matters. VLSP’s Supervising Attorney conducts weekly on-site legal intakes at SEHC and welcomes volunteer attorneys and law students to provide limited and full-scope representation to clients. Those with experience in the relevant areas of law are encouraged to volunteer. Training in relevant areas including family law, eviction defense and SSI advocacy are offered through VLSP. Participation in VLSP’s Medical-Legal Project offers a unique opportunity to focus your pro bono work in a dynamic community with deep legal need and a supportive interdisciplinary team.
Project Homeless Connect VLSP can always use attorneys with at least five years of experience in family law, personal injury, consumer, immigration, landlord/tenant, and/or criminal law to volunteer at PHC. |
VLSP's full scope Eviction Defense Project provides representation to clients during their eviction proceedings. These cases provide excellent litigation experience as the procedures are the same as those involved in business litigation−discovery, motions, settlement, and trial−on a more manageable level. Before taking cases, volunteers must attend our free CLE training. After attending the training, volunteers are asked to commit to representing two clients within a year of the training.
The 
We are always looking for experienced attorneys to give 10-15 minute client consultations in the following areas of law: Bankruptcy, Business/Contracts, Civil, Collection Defense, Criminal, Employment/Labor, Family, General Consumer, Immigration, Landlord Tenant, Personal Injury, Probate, Real Estate, SSI, Workers Comp, and other Miscellaneous Areas. We provide a brief orientation to new volunteers at the start of each clinic, but rely on the expertise of the volunteers to give the substantive consultations.
Every six to eight weeks the Mayor's office and city agencies partner with nonprofits to serve San Francisco’s homeless residents at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Project Homeless Connect (PHC) serves over 2,000 homeless people at each event, providing them with food, clothing and health, social and legal services all at once in one single place. PHC has been operating since 2005, and the VLSP has been involved from the start, providing legal assistance with the help of volunteer attorneys and also helping clients obtain their California ID.