DLA Piper is pleased to announce the launch of a free legal services clinic to serve the families of students attending C.K. McClatchy High School and members of the surrounding community in Sacramento, California. Beginning on February 16, DLA Piper attorneys will hold legal clinics at least once each semester at the high school to counsel families on issues that impact a child’s ability to succeed in school, including housing and landlord-tenant issues, immigration, juvenile justice and general family law matters.

The legal clinic and the Sacramento office’s pro bono work in education is one component of DLA Piper’s national pro bono signature project, Advancing Education’s Promise, dedicated to improving the quality of education for children from cradle through college in the many communities the firm serves.

“Legal problems affecting the family can have a significant impact on students and their ability to focus on school work and excel in the classroom,” said Scott Pink, attorney at DLA Piper and pro bono coordinator for the firm's Sacramento office. “DLA Piper has long been committed to pro bono legal service that improves educational outcomes and, through the legal clinic, we hope to remove some of these barriers and allow students to concentrate on their education.”

The legal clinic is the first part of a project in which DLA Piper is collaborating with the Sacramento City Unified School District and McClatchy High School in connection with McClatchy’s Law and Justice Academy. McClatchy is one of the four high schools chosen for a pilot project sponsored by the State Bar of California and the California Department of Education to develop programs at select high schools throughout California. Each academy is envisioned to be a two or three-year program aimed at preparing students for either employment or post-secondary studies in law enforcement, legislation or law practice. The program is designed to expose students to careers in these professions and related skills through integrated courses and workplace-based learning.

In addition to supporting the legal needs of families, Advancing Education’s Promise encompasses such pro bono initiatives as representing Promise Neighborhoods, children with special education needs and Head Start programs, as well as volunteer work in the education field both in the classroom with students.

About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com) DLA Piper has 4,200 lawyers in 31 countries and 77 offices throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.