Pro Bono
Pro Bono Publico - For the Public Good
The California Bar and the American Bar Associations encourage lawyers to devote at least 50 hours annually to the provision of pro bono legal services to indigent individuals or to non-profits whose primary purpose is the provision of legal services to or on behalf of the poor or disadvantaged or to non-profits whose mission is to improve the law and legal system or to increase access to justice for all. At Hastings, we believe this commitment to the delivery of legal services is an integral and intensely satisfying part of your legal education and enhances the development of your professional identity.
In California, the unmet legal need of indigent individuals is overwhelming. For every 8,361 indigent Californians, there is one legal services attorney. To put this in a visual, for the attendees at AT&T Park at full capacity, there would be just five attorneys. You can be a part of reducing this gap in the delivery of legal services, now by signing the Pro Bono Pledge.
Orrick-Hastings Homeless Legal Services Partnership Successful in Placing Client in Housing
After working with their client for six months, a team consisting of an Orrick lawyer, a staff atorney at the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) of the Volunteer Legal Services Program of the San Francisco Bar and University of California Hastings College of the Law students successfully helped a homeless man secure a two-bedroom apartment through the San Francisco Housing Authority. The team is part of the Hastings Homeless Legal Services Program (the "Program"), an innovative pro bono project that Orrick helped to found with Hastings students at the St. Vincent de Paul shelter, the largest homeless shelter in San Francisco.
This past year, with financial support from the firm's community responsibility committee providing for an eight-hour-per-week staff attorney knowledgeable about legal issues affecting homeless clients to oversee the Program, volunteers have focused their efforts on providing full-scope representation to residents of the shelter to overcome the barriers that prevent shelter residents from gaining stable, permanent housing.
The Program's first success was achieved earlier this summer. Over the past two years, the client had struggled to maintain stable housing: moving from a single-room occupancy to various rehabilitation centers, to jail after a conviction for selling drugs, to the street and, finally, to the shelter where he became an Orrick client. Determined to get housing so his son could move in with him, the client and his legal eagerly tracked down leads and worked to expedite the housing search process. Among other things, the team helped the client negotiate with the Housing Authority, including resolving an outstanding debt that was a barrier to housing. On July 1, 2009, the client and his son moved into their new home.
The Homeless Legal Services Program team consisted of Hastings students Darci Ward and Ken Laslavic, HAP attorney Ted Janowsky, and San Francisco litigation associate Darren Teshima.
Top Ten Reasons to do Pro Bono while at Hastings (and beyond)
10. Receive graduation recognition - induction into the Pro Bono Society
9. Bask in the appreciation of those you assist
8. Get to know your classmates more fully
7. Distinguish yourself beyond traditional academics
6. Develop professional skills beyond the classroom
5. Witness the intersection of theory and practice
4. Develop leadership skills
3. Explore different areas of practice and potential career options while developing contacts and networking
2. Provide vital legal services and facilitate wider access to justice by giving back to the community
1. Remind yourself of why you came to law school
Individuals Seeking Pro Bono Legal Assistance
UC Hastings does not have a legal services program available to the public; we do not provide individuals with advice or representation. If you are seeking legal assistance, please contact the Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP) of the San Francisco Bar Association at (415) 989-1616.