Community Legal Services

Community Legal Services

Organization Description


Community Legal Services is a non-profit organization that provides free civil legal services to the poor and elderly of the South and Southeast Los Angeles County. Community Legal Services' established priorities include assisting individuals with family law, housing, health care, consumer issues and government benefits. The majority of the cases are related to basic survival issues that are either life threatening or affect the most basic necessities. Community Legal Services offers 18 South and Southeast Los Angeles communities offices in Compton and Norwalk.


Community Legal Services operates a Domestic Violence Prevention Program at the Compton and Norwalk Superior Court. The program assists the victims of domestic violence with obtaining protective orders against their abusers. Community Legal Services operates the Compton Legal Self Help Center at the Compton Superior Court. The Center provides self-represented litigants with computer access and self-help materials. The Center helps litigants to complete their court papers and to negotiate the legal system and the court process.

Pro Bono Project Description:


Community Legal Service Law Office
-is a full service office staffed with attorney, paralegals, interns and volunteers. Areas of practice are family law, including divorce, paternity, domestic violence and children's issues, housing including homeownership and tenant's rights, government benefits including welfare, disability and unemployment insurance. Contact Julius Craig Wesson at jwesson@legal-aid.com

Compton Legal Self Help Center
-is a court based center that assists litigants with divorce, paternity, guardianship, custody, visitation, landlord-tenant, and name changes. The Center has 8 public computers and a variety of written materials with an emphasis on using technology to assist self represented litigants. Contact Julius Craig Wesson at jwesson@legal-aid.com

Domestic Violence Prevention Program
-is a court based project that assists victims of violence to get protective orders. Staff, interns and volunteers prepare domestic violence, civil harassment and elder abuse restraining order documents. They advise clients on court and law enforcement procedures. Contact Julius Craig Wesson at jwesson@legal-aid.com
  • County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Los Angeles
  • Area of law: Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Elder Law, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Health, Homeless, Housing, Public Benefits, Taxes
  • Populations Served: Children, Communities of Color, Domestic Violence Victims, Elderly, Low Income, Persons with Disabilities, Women, Working poor and unemployed
  • Opportunities For: Interpreters, Law Students, Lawyers, Mentors/consultants, Paralegals, Senior Lawyers
  • Need for non-English services: Spanish
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: No
  • Training Provided: Yes
  • Training Required: No
  • CLE credit for trainings: No
  • CLE credit for pro bono: No
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: No
Download this organization and add it to your address book.
Please report any corrections to this organization's information.