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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
SDPA offers members and non-members alike many great ways to participate in San Diego's legal community. Volunteers can either participate directly with SDPA or provide general legal assistance to the many community outreach programs listed below. If you have a program that you'd like to promote within the paralegal community, please provide a brief description with contact information to website@sdparalegals.org.
SDPA Projects
Speakers Bureau
SDPA is often invited by local high schools and paralegal programs to speak to their students about the paralegal profession. If you are interested in participating in a speaking engagement, please email school-liaison@sdparalegals.org.
Newsletter
Want to get involved, gain recognition, and increase your value to your current or future employer? Want to be seen as an expert in the paralegal field by writing on a relevant legal topic? If so, then SDPA welcomes your contributions! PRE§EDENTS, SDPA's bi-monthly newsletter, is looking for energetic people to act as researchers, photographers and reporters for the newsletter. It's a great way to polish up your writing skills and shine up your resume as published author. Please email newsletter@sdparalegals.org for more information.
For general information on opportunities within SDPA, please contact president@sdparalegals.org.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Pro bono work offers volunteers an excellent opportunity to network with attorneys and other paralegals while gaining invaluable real-world experience. Beyond the personal reward, pro bono work also serves an unparalleled function within the San Diego community by helping those who need it the most. The current pro bono opportunities are listed below.
Guardianship Clinic (Downtown San Diego)
In cooperation with the Probate Court and Probate Examiner's Office, SDVLP operates weekly clinics to assist responsible adult residents of San Diego County obtain guardianship of children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned by parents.
For more information, please contact Thomas Kritzik with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program at tkritzik@sdvlp.org
Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) Clinic (North County)
In the TRO clinic, volunteers assist in preparing domestic violence, elder abuse and civil harassment TROs. When the volunteers arrives for the first time, they fills out a registration form. No experience is required. The supervising attorney will teach volunteers what they need to know to prepare Temporary Restraining Orders.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Robbins with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program at jrobbins@sdvlp.org
Family Justice Center Needs Volunteer Paralegals (Downtown San Diego)
The Family Justice Center is a community initiative designed to help domestic violence victims and their children by bringing domestic violence professionals under one roof. For the first time in San Diego history, victims have easy access to advocates, police officers, prosecutors, probation officers, civil attorneys, counselors, doctors and others, comprising of 120 professionals from 24 agencies in one location. Paralegals serve on in-house legal clinics.
For more information, please contact Robert Keetch at rkeetch@sandiego.gov or
visit their website: http://www.familyjusticecenter.org .
Note: Individuals looking for legal assistance should call (619) 235-5656 ext. 290 for English speakers and ext. 291 for Spanish speakers. You will hear about a 4 minute recorded message discussing what the legal clinic can and can't do for you.
Center for Community Solutions (Various Locations)
The Center for Community Solutions is seeking volunteers for legal clinics around San Diego County, including, El Cajon, Chula Vista and Pacific Beach. The focus of their legal assistance involves temporary restraining orders (TRO's), custody issues, divorce proceedings, court accompaniment, limited in-court representation, and victims of crime funding claims.
For more information contact call (858) 272-5777, email CCS at info@ccssd.org or visit their website: http://www.ccssd.org/ .
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