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Volunteer attorneys provide brief 20-minute legal consultations and referrals to the public at free walk-in legal clinics at the India Community Center on the 2nd (immigration-focused) and 4th Sundays of each month and at the Pakistani American Culture Center on the 3rd Sunday of each month (beginning on January 17, 2010).  Co-sponsored by the Pro Bono Project and the Asian Law Caucus.

Volunteer attorneys assist community members with many kinds of legal issues such as family law, immigration law, insurance law, consumer law, employment law, probate, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, predatory lending, collections defense, and small claims among other practice areas.   

When: 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where: India Community Center, 525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas, CA 95035 (map)

Coming soon: 

When: 3d Sunday of each month (beginning January 17th, 2010) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where: Pakistani American Culture Center, 4423 Fortran Ct., Suite 160, San Jose, CA 95134 (map)

• Attorneys: By volunteering just a few hours a month, you can directly assist community members who otherwise have limited access to legal services due to financial restrictions.  No special training is required, and any California-licensed attorney can volunteer (but please review our orientation materials first). Immigration attorneys who are not licensed to practice in California are welcome to volunteer on the 2nd Sunday of the month at the ICC. Volunteers will be given the necessary materials, tools and training to effectively provide legal assistance and direct community members to the appropriate legal resources.  Often, what may seem like basic legal knowledge to you can lead to the efficient resolution of a legal problem when shared with a community member. The success of the legal clinics depends on support from a solid network of attorneys.  
• Law Students, Law Graduates, or Non-CA Licensed Attorneys: You would be partnered with an experienced attorney and be exposed to various areas of law. While you won't be able to provide legal advise, you can assist attorney volunteers with intake and coordination. We can also use your help with marketing and outreach.  
• Other Non-Attorneys: Administrative support (scheduling, intake, etc.); Marketing to the community (flyers, articles, radio and tv spots, etc.); Technology support (using technology to better connect with our volunteers and clients); Research support (keep our reference materials up to date; do background research for CLE presentations)

To learn more about volunteering opportunities or to volunteer, contact us at probono@southasianbar.org.

Please email legalclinic@southasianbar.org to sign up for our legal clinics!

• Disclaimer
• Intake Form (to be updated soon)
• 2009-10-02 - Clinic Orientation (Please review this orientation presentation before volunteering)
• 2009-10-09 - MCLE re civil rights issue spotting
• 2009-10-29 - Panel discussion re volunteering at SABA clinics

In 2010 the Pro Bono Committee will launch a series of "Know Your Rights"-style presentations on various topics at venues throughout the Bay Area.  

• Top 10 things that every employee and consultant should know (Jan 17 at 10 am at the PACC (map); Jan 24 at noon at the ICC (map))
• Know your rights as an employee re: discrimination and wrongful termination (Mar 14, 2010 at noon at the ICC (map); Mar 21, 2010 at noon at the PACC (map))
• Family law [date TBD]
• Immigration law [date TBD]
• Civil rights [date TBD]

• Attorneys: If you have experience in any of these areas and are interested in sharing your knowledge with the community as well as networking with others in your field, we need you!
• Non-Attorneys: Individual presenters need not be California-licensed attorneys.  Non-licensed volunteers will have access to volunteer attorneys to ensure that they can field questions from attendees.
• To learn more about volunteering opportunities, contact us at probono@southasianbar.org.

The Pro Bono Committee will also assist nascent organizations that aspire to obtain tax-exempt status with the IRS obtain pro bono legal representation from volunteer attorneys in SABA. Send us a description of the organization and its goals, and we will attempt to find a practicing attorney who is available and who can help you with this kind of work.  Please contact us at probono@southasianbar.org if your organization needs pro bono representation.

• Attorneys: If you have the requisite background and are interested in representing nonprofits in corporate and tax matters on a pro bono basis, please contact us at probono@southasianbar.org.