SoCal Pro Bono Center Launches
Southern California pro bono legal services providers, in collaboration with the Public Interest Clearinghouse and Pro Bono Net, have launched the SoCal Pro Bono Center (www.socalprobono.org), a new site designed to link private attorneys, law students and other advocates with volunteer opportunities throughout Southern California.
“The SoCal Pro Bono Center was created to streamline and maximize volunteer requests from individual attorneys, law students and other legal advocates. Whether you are a private practitioner, law student, law firm, law school, public interest law group or other qualified legal professional, the SoCal Pro Bono Center allows you to quickly identify programs and volunteer opportunities,” said Tai Glenn, Pro Bono Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Visitors to the site will find:
- A Pro Bono Programs Guide with descriptions and contact information for more than 50 pro bono programs from Santa Barbara to Imperial County
- A database of legal clinics, which allows attorneys to identify and connect with local walk-in clinics
- A Pro Bono Calendar that features upcoming events and trainings especially designed for pro bono attorneys and students
The site was launched at kick-off events in Los Angeles hosted by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Cristin Zeisler of Manatt; Barclay Edmundson, a partner at Orrick; and Rene Kathawala, Orrick’s firm-wide Pro Bono Coordinator and Counsel, were instrumental in the development of the SoCal Pro Bono Center. Liz Keith, LawHelp Program Manager, and Adam Licht, Director of Product Development for Pro Bono Manager, participated in the launch events, as did representatives from Pro Bono Net corporate sponsors LexisNexis and LawScribe.
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| Laurie Aronoff, HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance; Chancela Al-Mansour, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County; Cristin Zeisler, Manatt; and Diego Cartagena, Alliance for Children's Rights, at the SoCal Pro Bono Center launch. |
The SoCal Pro Bono Center is part of the statewide pro bono opportunities network, www.CaliforniaProBono.org, managed by Public Interest Clearinghouse. The site is coordinated through a partnership of Southern California Pro Bono Managers and Pro Bono Directors at the Alliance for Children's Rights, Bet Tzedek, the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc., Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, and Public Counsel.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, legal services providers and The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Volunteer Legal Services Program manage www.probono.net/bayarea, another regional opportunities network for local volunteers. (See related article.) All three California-based websites are part of the national network of sites hosted by Pro Bono Net, which now supports more than 50,000 members in 30 states and regions.
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