The Volunteer Legal Services Program has volunteer opportunities in a whole variety of legal areas. If you are interested in litigation, you might want to visit the Eviction Defense practice area. Eviction cases are a great way to learn litigation skill and get courtroom experience, as well as to help low-income clients keep their housing and avoid homelessness.

In addition, our Family Justice practice area invites you to learn how to represent clients with divorce, custody, visitation and guardianship issues. This is a good way to learn this area of law, and get involved with children's issues in particular.

If you are a transactional business attorney, take a look at the
Business Law (community economic development and nonprofit law) practice area. Here we offer you the opportunity to help non-profits with legal needs like incorporation, tax and employment problems, real estate issues, etc.

Or perhaps you'd like to make a difference with the many individuals and families fighting homelessness- go to the Homelessness/Immigrationpractice area. Volunteer attorneys help these clients obtain access to housing, economic benefits and personal security.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

VLSP also has volunteer opportunities in other legal areas, beyond the ones currently represented online. If you are interested in helping with wills, powers of attorney or conservatorships for people with AIDS or cancer, immigration issues for people with AIDS, consumer issues like bankruptcy and collection defense, low-income tax payer concerns, or helping adults or children with disabilities get federal disability benefits, contact Ruby Corral at (415) 782-8956 or email vlsp@sfbar.org.

Our trainings and access to our extensive library of forms, expert advice and many other benefits are free, and you will receive MCLE credit. All we ask in return is your commitment to represent 2-3 pro bono clients sometime within the next year.

Holistic Services

VLSP prides itself on our holistic approach to clients' problems. Our intake staff takes the clients through an extensive intake interview that covers not only the legal problems the client faces, but also the social service problems that may have led to, or contributed to, the legal problems. Then our social workers on staff and our team of volunteer social workers and psychotherapists can be matched up with a client if needed.

This holistic approach allows you truly to make a significant difference in clients' lives and change their circumstances so the same legal problems won't recur. In addition, it helps ensure that our attorneys aren't overwhelmed by the clients' social service needs and can concentrate on the legal problems.

For more information about any of our programs, please call Ruby Corral at 415-782-8956