VOLUNTEERS
By volunteering with CLADC, legal professionals can help meet their pro bono requirements and law students can gain meaningful real-world legal experience. Prior experience in legal aid is not required; you just need a desire to serve and a willingness to learn. If you do not have a legal background, we can still use your help. We also welcome volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to support strategic and administrative needs. Click here to fill out a short form and let us know you're interesting in learning more about volunteering with us.
Legal Clinics
Most of our volunteers serve through one of our three monthly legal aid clinics, currently held virtually. At each clinic, legal professionals and law students interview homeless and/or low-income clients to analyze the facts and issues of their case to determine what should be done to resolve their legal problem. After meeting with a client, we may do any of the following, as appropriate:
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provide legal advice on site at the legal clinic;
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provide brief services after the clinic;
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provide pro se (when you represent yourself without an attorney at a proceeding) coaching and follow-up with the client; and/or
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provide extended representation through volunteer and staff attorneys.
Volunteers will most often support clients with needs in one of our core practice areas: housing conditions and eviction defense, criminal record sealing and expungement, Social Security benefits, estate planning, and probate (including guardianship issues). Volunteers are provided with training resources and mentorship from CLADC staff to support their clinic consultations, and if they choose, follow up services to clients. We welcome attorneys or law students who may not have much background in these areas but are eager to learn and apply their skills on behalf of someone in need.
CLADC is a Christian organization and we serve clients of all faiths or none. CLADC staff and volunteer leaders are practicing Christians, though we welcome volunteers from any background to join us. Each clinic begins with a reflection and time of prayer among volunteers, and we regularly offer to pray for a clients during their clinic consultations. Where appropriate, a volunteer may share his or her Christian faith.
Volunteers typically work in teams of two: one attorney and one law student, and are supported by clinic directors at each clinic. At most clinics, volunteers meet two clients for one-hour consultations. Follow-up time will vary depending on the case(s) seen by the volunteer and his or her capacity. All legal professionals and law students are covered by CLADC’s legal malpractice insurance.
Referral Attorneys
If you are an attorney and would like to join our referral network, please let us know. We often meet with clients who require additional follow-up legal support, or due to limited resources or expertise, we need to refer their cases elsewhere. This is also a great way to serve if you cannot attend our legal clinics.
Law Students
Our law student volunteers are integral parts of the clinic consultation teams and also have opportunities to support staff or volunteer attorneys with legal research and more.
Strategic & Administrative Support
You do not need a legal background to help. We also constantly seek non-attorney volunteers with a heart to serve our neighbors living in poverty. If you have skills with communications, marketing, fundraising, event planning or other areas that could be useful for us, please let us know. We could also use help with basic, but important, administrative matters.
Click here to learn more about volunteering with CLADC.