As a Bay Area lawyer, you can make a difference for a young person by volunteering as a pro bono attorney with Legal Services for Children.
Whether you are experienced or just starting out in your career, no matter what your area of legal expertise, you have the skills to advocate for a child at a time of crisis. While every client is different, and every case brings its unique challenges, the pro bono experience is incredibly rewarding. And we do everything possible to help you achieve the best result for your client.
The Pro Bono Experience
Here, Jahmal Davis, LSC’s pro bono employment attorney and Partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, speaks to the potentially life-changing impact of pro bono advocacy.
We will train you — Most first-time pro bono attorneys do not have a background in our core areas of practice. We provide training and reference manuals to prepare you to handle school discipline and guardianship cases. More experienced pro bono attorneys can learn to represent clients seeking immigration relief. Training typically takes 1.5 hours and can be scheduled for small groups right in your office. We also have trainings available online.
We will support you — When you accept a case, we will assign an experienced mentor attorney to answer your questions and strategize with you throughout the case. You will also be partnered with an LSC social worker who will be working to address the non-legal challenges present in the young person’s life.
You have enough time — We send out periodic emails with case opportunities to our pro bono panel members. You can accept a case whenever it fits your schedule. School discipline cases typically take about 20 hours, while guardianship cases and immigration cases require more time.
We have detailed information on our Pro Bono program and the ways that you can help our clients thrive.
If you are interested in becoming an LSC Pro Bono Attorney, click below to complete our online application. Email any questions you have to probono@lsc-sf.org.
If you are currently a Pro Bono Attorney for LSC and need access to our LSC Resource Library, click on the button below.
For more information about representing youth and “Trauma Informed Lawyering” check out these helpful articles:
