Volunteer Opportunities
Whether you want to give back, want some experience, or just need to kick the boredom, we’re working hard to increase our virtual pro bono activities at Legal Access Alameda (formerly VLSC). This list is current as of August 2020, but we’re moving rapidly to meet the needs of our community by offering more virtual services. Check out the latest and greated about Legal Access Alameda, the pro bono arm of the Alameda County Bar Association, on our website www.legalaccessalameda.org.
Legal Access seeks legal volunteers to help at virtual pro per clinics
Volunteer opportunities include Bankruptcy, Family Law, Low-Income Landlord Unlawful Detainer Assistance, and the all-subject CLASP clinic.
CLASP (Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program)
- Intake on the first Saturday of the month, call (510) 485-9933 between 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Clients must go through intake to be scheduled for a 15 minute consultation with an attorney that takes place the following (second) Saturday of the month
- Wide spectrum of areas of law, including family, immigration, housing, employment, consumer, bankruptcy, personal injury, trusts & estates, real estate and more
- Interpreters available in Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese
- CLASP flyer
Virtual Family Law Legal Clinics
Legal Access is resuming family law clinics virtually using Zoom. At these remote clinics, volunteer attorneys consult low income clients needing help with dissolution, child custody, visitation, child support and spousal support matters. The goal is to answer the clients legal questions, assist in completing necessary forms for clients, and advise clients on how to proceed in their family law case.
Individual Appointments with Qase
Legal Access is piloting technology from Qase to make it easier and more efficient for lawyers to provide pro bono services for low income clients remotely. Qase’s platform integrates scheduling, calling and messaging, so both clients and lawyers can work from home. Using a new online system, we hope to make it easier for people to connect with a pro bono lawyer. Clients are screened by Legal Access and scheduled for 30 minute consultations over the phone. Appointments offered for Family Law, Bankruptcy and Low-Income Landlord matters.
Interested in Volunteering with Legal Access? Please contact Amarilis Medrano, Legal Access Clinics Coordinator, at (510) 302-2219.
LAWYERS IN THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Oakland Main’s Virtual Lawyers in the Library is offered three times per week, Tuesday and Thursday evening as well as Sunday afternoon. In addition, they have started offering consultations with a tax attorney on the third Friday of the month for COVID- related stimulus payment issues and other personal income tax matters.
The Lawyers in the Library Program is a countywide service coordinated by Legal Access Alameda and staffed by volunteer attorneys. Volunteers provide short consultations and referrals on a wide variety of issues including landlord tenant disputes, probate matters, employment problems, and other general consumer issues. These consultations take place at public libraries each the month.
Attorney volunteers are urgently needed for the following vacant Lawyers in the Library sessions once the shelter in place order is lifted:
West End Library, 788 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda – 1st Monday of the month, 6-8 p.m.
Newark Branch – 6300 Civic Terrace Ave, Newark – 2nd Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
For more information about Lawyers in the Library, please contact Beth Litwin at beth@acbanet.org. Lawyers in the Library is a very popular and meaningful program for library patrons and a rewarding experience for attorney volunteers!
Free Legal Answers – Volunteer with us
Free Legal Answers (FLA) is a virtual legal advice clinic that offers free legal advice to low income residents of Northern California about COVID-19 legal matters.
Log in to the Free Legal Answers platform, watch the required video trainings, and then you will be eligible to sign up for a particular week. At your convenience during your week, you can check out clients’ questions and choose one to answer. Send your draft answer in, and another attorney will review!
For more information about the program or assistance signing up, please contact: freelegalanswers@acbanet.org.
New Property Transfer Clinic
A new volunteer opportunity for the Property Transfer Clinic, which is a partnership between the Alameda County Library, the Alameda County Law Library, and Legal Access Alameda, with funding by the Alameda County Assessor’s Office. The mission of the clinic is to be able help homeowners with frequently asked questions about the county’s assessment process, methods of holding title, changes in ownership, and common exclusions from reassessment. An online volunteer training will be offered on Monday, August 10, from 12-1:30 p.m. with speakers from the Assessor’s Office. All attorneys welcome; attorneys with backgrounds in property and estate planning are particularly needed. Flyer here