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Legal Aid Society of San Diego *




Legal Aid Society of San Diego

Organization Description


LASSD provides comprehensive quality legal services to the indigent residents of San Diego City and County, offering high volume and high quality direct legal services to individual clients as well litigating more complex matters. Pro Bono Opportunities: The LASSD Pro Bono Program, in partnership with La Raza Lawyers of San Diego, Pan-Asian Lawyers of San Diego, Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego and the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities to attorneys and non-attorneys in most of the legal service areas provided by LASSD. Training and mentoring is provided to volunteers as requested. Members of this website can also to access a listing of current pro bono projects and cases at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego.

Pro Bono Project Description:


Self-Represented Litigant Clinics:

Volunteer opportunities available to assist low-income self-represented litigants in eviction cases, conservatorships and restraining order matters. These clinics are located at the South County, Central and East County Courthouses. Contact Sara Raffer, Pro Bono Program Manager by phone at 877-534-2524, ext. 2717 or by e-mail at SaraR@lassd.org for more information.


Homeless Advocacy Program:

Volunteer attorneys are stationed at homeless service agencies around the county to assist the homeless with legal problems including government benefits, consumer, tax and expungements.
Case Referral: Referrals for legal advice, brief legal services and full case representation are available in the areas of non-profit assistance, bankruptcy, consumer, housing, family law, estate planning, government benefits, Federal tax disputes, immigration and health law. Contact Sara Raffer, Pro Bono Program Manager by phone at 877-534-2524, ext. 2717 or by e-mail at SaraR@lassd.org for more information.


Peer Mediation Training:

Volunteer opportunities available to participate in training children in high-risk, low-income neighborhoods to mediate the disputes of their peers. Contact Susan Turcich by phone at 877-534-2524, ext. 2642 or by e-mail at SusanT@lassd.org for more information.


Juvenile Hall Mediation Program: In partnership with California Western School of Law, this program brings volunteer attorneys and students into juvenile hall to mediate disputes between detainees. Contact Susan Turcich by phone at 877-534-2524, ext. 2642 or by e-mail at SusanT@lassd.org for more information.

Case Referrals:

Volunteer attorneys can sign up to receive pro bono case referrals for advice, brief services or extended representations.

Please report any corrections to this organization's information.
  • To Volunteer, Contact:
    Sara Raffer
    877-534-2524 x2717
    Download this organization and add it to your address book.
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers
  • Training Provided
  • Training Required
  • CLE credit for trainings
  • CLE credit for pro bono
  • Mentoring or supervision offered
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance
  • County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity
    San Diego
  • Area of law
    Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Education, Elder Law, Environmental, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Health, Homeless, Housing, Immigration & Naturalization, Life Planning, Nonprofit Organizations, Public Benefits, Taxes
  • Populations Served
    Children, Domestic Violence Victims, Elderly, General Public, HIV, Immigrants, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender, Low Income, Military/Veterans, Native Americans, Nonprofits, Persons with Disabilities, State Residents, Women, Working poor and unemployed
  • Opportunities For
    Interpreters, Law Students, Lawyers, Mentors, Nonlitigation Projects, Paralegals, Senior Lawyers
  • Need for non-English services
    Spanish
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities
    Evenings, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm