The SDCBA encourages every member to volunteer their time either in pro bono legal services or general community volunteer opportunities. The ABA has set a guideline that every lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of legal services without fee or expectation of fee each year. In lieu of free legal services, consider giving your time to other types of community service. Join the many SDCBA members who volunteer their time and efforts for a variety of community oriented events and activities. The following opportunities are currently looking for volunteers.
The SDCBA and La Raza Lawyers of San Diego will join forces for a Family Law call-in program on the Univision television network. We are seeking Spanish-speaking Family Law attorneys to be a part of this important community outreach effort. The program will take place on Wednesday, September 29, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Univision’s studio at 5770 Ruffin Road. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Lawyer Referral and Information Service Director Michelle Chavez via email at mchavez@sdcba.org.
Teen Court is a diversion program for first time juvenile offenders who have admitted guilt to committing a misdemeanor offense. Offenders are sentenced by their peers, who determine a fair and appropriate sentence based on the principles of Restorative Justice. Teen Court is looking for volunteers to be Judges and preside over hearings and ensure that the correct procedures are being followed.
To qualify to volunteer as a Judge you much have passed the bar and practicing law for a minimum of three years of trial experience. The time committment includes hearings which are held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings of each month. Several cases are heard each evening: Cases last approximately 2 hours each. We ask a commitment of a minimum of one case per month.
If you are interested in volunteering as a Teen Court Judge please contact:
Holly Wright, MSW
Youth Justice Supervisor
SAY San Diego/Teen Court hwright@saysandiego.com
(858) 974-3603, ext 217
4340 Genesee Ave, Suite 207
San Diego, CA 92117
Wills for Heroes- Laptops needed Through the Wills for Heroes program, the SDCBA is able to provide our community first responders with vital legal documents such as simple wills and powers of attorneys free of charge. The SDCBA is planning a second Wills for Heroes event that will take place later this year. The SDCBA is looking for laptops for use in drafting legal documents onsite on the day of the event. Please consider dropping off your unneeded laptops at the SDCBA Bar Center. All donated laptops will be wiped clean of data and used exclusively by the Wills for Heroes program. The donations are also considered tax deductible through the Wills for Heroes Foundation.
For more information on the Wills for Heroes program, visit www.willsforheroes.org, and for information regarding a laptop donation, contact Alison Phillips at aphillips@sdcba.org.
San Diego Book Project The SDCBA's Community Service Committee's San Diego Book Project provides needy organizations with books at no charge. The San Diego Book Project works with A Plus Surplus Inc, a partner to St. Vincent de Paul, to sort, organize and distribute books to organizations such as schools, assisted living facilities, juvenile detention facilities, non-profits, etc. The committee is looking for organizations that need books as well as volunteers for the monthly sorting of books.
Monthly sortings take place the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the old Jerome's warehouse, located at 841 14th Street, San Diego, 92101.
Volunteers can also arrange date and time of visit to the warehouse at their convenience. If you are interested in getting involved in the San Diego Book Project or know of an organization that could use children's or adult books, please email Mike Meaney at researchsd@aol.com or Lori Mendez at lori@mendezplc.com.
Restorative Justice Mediation Program of San Diego County The San Diego Restorative Justice Mediation Program (RJMP) seeks to prevent the spiral of crime among juveniles in San Diego County through Victim-Offender Mediation and community training and involvement. RJMP's specific purpose and goal is to establish a vibrant Restorative Justice Program serving the communities of San Diego County. It is the organization's belief that such a program would result in measurably reduced juvenile crime in the communities by reconciling juvenile criminal disputes through Victim-Offender Mediation. San Diego is the only major city in the state of California that does not have a vibrant Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP).
Attorneys interested in finding out more about RJMP and the volunteer opportunities available are invited to the RJMP's website at www.sdrjmp.org or call 619-280-1993.
HOME (Home Owners Mobile Education) Clinics Attorneys are needed to lend expertise to homeowners faced with losing their home. Attorney volunteers will not give legal advice, but will serve as educated counselors, interviewing homeowners and making recommendations as to what action is appropriate be it contacting the lender and negotiating a loan modification or referring the homeowner to a bankruptcy attorney or other real estate professional.
For a schedule of upcoming home clinics, visit http://sd.myhousingforall.org. If you are interested in volunteering or for more information, please email your name and bar number to Gary Laturno atGary@LandKRealty.com.
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act In 2008, the San Diego County Bar Association was approached by the San Diego Superior Court to provide limited pro bono assistance for active military personnel in pending civil litigation and family law matters. Representatives from the court, the San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA), Bar Association of Northern San Diego County (BANSDC), Navy Legal Services, and the Marines have come together to identify processes that can be used to provide relief under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to:
1) Confirm active duty status of a servicemember, and
2) Provide volunteer attorney assistance to secure a stay of the proceedings.
The SDCBA is maintaining a list of volunteer attorneys interested in participating in the SCRA. To sign up to participate in the SCRA or for more information, please email Michelle Chavez at mchavez@sdcba.org.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Program The SDCBA's Community Service Committee is looking for volunteers to become involved with the San Diego Big Brothers Big Sisters program. According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, their greatest need is for bilingual volunteers (Spanish) and volunteers in their site based programs, Bigs in Schools and Operations Bigs and their Amachi program, which serves children with an incarcerated parent. If you are interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, please email your name and contact information to communityrecruitment@sdbigs.org.
The SDCBA's Children At Risk Committee (CAR) offers attorneys, paralegals, judges and law students opportunities to work with "at risk" children. CAR partners with Porter Elementary School and Clairemont High School and coordinates programs and special events to assist students all year long. To get involved with CAR, contact bar@sdcba.org. CAR's programs include the following.
Mentors Needed for 10th and 11th Graders at Clairemont High School The Children At Risk Committee's Clairemont High School Program is seeking interested mentors for 10th and 11th graders to help guide the students' decisions for the future. Mentors formally meet with their students five to six times per year and discuss such topics as student interests, hobbies, goals, academic progress, college, career-preparation, job opportunities, and more. Mentors also maintain an e-mentoring relationship through business e-mail and online chat. Mentor Selection & Interviews are being heldthrough September 23, 2010. If you are interested in mentoring a 10th or 11th grade student at Clairemont High School, please contact Anna Romanskaya at aromanskaya@starkllp.com.
Rolling Readers Program Volunteers from the legal community are needed to adopt a classroom through Rolling Readers, and read weekly throughout the year to "at risk" students. Opportunities to read are available at Baker Elementary, Balboa Elementary, Bancroft Elementary, Ericson Elementary, Fay Elementary, Herbert Ibarra, Mason Elementary and Nubia Leadership Academy. Alternatively, Rolling Readers can look into other sites if a volunteer reader has a specific site where they would like to be placed. Volunteers interested in participating in this program should contact Lori Mendez at Lori@MendezPLC.com.
Juvenile Court Book Club The Juvenile Court Book Club, a forum for juveniles in the court school system to read and talk about books with adult volunteers, is looking for SDCBA members to become program volunteers. Volunteer attorneys will meet students once a month to discuss the book chosen for that month. In addition to encouraging literacy, the program fosters discussions of thought provoking issues based on each book. From time to time, local authors also attend Book Club sessions and talk about their writing. Developed by Hon. Maria Arroyo Prokop, Juvenile Court Referee (now retired), with support and encouragement from Hon. James Milliken, former Presiding Judge of the San Diego Juvenile Court, Book Club volunteers provide “hands-on” outreach and positive support to those in the court’s school system.
Voices for Children – Child Advocate Opportunity The SDCBA’s Community Service Committee is looking for volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) through Voices for Children. Voices for Children is a non-profit organization that endeavors to ensure that abused, neglected and abandoned children who have become dependents of the San Diego County Court will have a safe and permanent home. For more information on Voices for Children please visit www.speakupnow.org.
To receive additional information on the CASA program, please email Susan Smith at SusanS@voices4children.com or call 858-598-2235.
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