Attorneys, law students and community members: A little of your time and expertise can help the community in a big way. Find out how.

Each year, CLSEPA works with more than 200 volunteer attorneys, paralegals, law students, undergraduate and high school students, and community members. Our agency is highly leveraged by the contributions of our volunteers.

Attorneys are our biggest source of volunteers. Last year, attorneys contributed 10,000 volunteer hours to CLSEPA cases. Our volunteer attorneys include solo practitioners, attorneys from large and small law firms, and active members of the bar who are taking time off from a full-time legal practice.

Non-attorney volunteers have advanced our cause significantly as well. Volunteers have contributed articles and design graphics for our publications, translated and interpreted at clinics and community events, organized our databases and provided administrative support.

In short, everything we do involves volunteers. Help us make a big difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Attorneys & Paralegals

CLSEPA seeks volunteer attorneys and certified paralegals to volunteer in our various program areas under the direction of our staff attorneys. Volunteers will assist with case-related and administrative tasks. Training and supervision will be provided.

CLSEPA volunteers must be able to make a commitment of 6 months of at least 8 hours per week.

The Immigration Program prefers Spanish, Fijian, Tongan or Samoan speaking volunteers, or those with prior immigration experience. If we do not have the resources to work with you in our Immigration Program, please indicate whether you would also consider volunteering in one of our other practice areas where language skill may not be as necessary. We provide training and supervision in all of our practice areas for attorney and certified paralegal volunteers.

To volunteer, please send a statement of interest to volunteer@clsepa.org.

Volunteer applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Law School & Undergraduate Students

CLSEPA strives to work with volunteer students effectively to provide them with a meaningful experience, help a greater number of clients, and leverage our limited resources for the benefit of the community.

Law School Students

CLSEPA recruits law students from several local and out-of-state schools to work in one of our four legal program areas. Our greatest need is to have bilingual Spanish speaking volunteers but we have opportunities for those with little to no second language skills.

CLSEPA has had volunteer law students from various Bay Area law schools who also are able to gain pro bono hours credit towards a pro bono distinction at graduation. Interested students should contact their respective schools for questions about details of qualifying volunteer work, but CLSEPA is happy to certify students' hours.

Our volunteer law students conduct client intakes under the supervision of a staff attorney, utilize legal research and writing skills, enhance issue-spotting ability, and work directly with clients on their legal matters. Our volunteer law students are critical for CLSEPA to be able to screen its pool of client requests for meritorius cases to place in-house or with pro bono firms. Law students with Spanish language capacity may also use their language capacity to assist with translation and interpretation opportunities as well.

Undergraduates and High School Students

Our volunteer undergraduate and high school students assist our staff attorneys and volunteers with administrative and case-related tasks. For students fluent in Spanish, opportunities to provide translation and interpretation assistance are also available.

CLSEPA volunteers must be able to make a commitment of 6 months of at least 8 hours per week.

To volunteer, please send a statement of interest to volunteer@clsepa.org.

Volunteer applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

CLSEPA is an affirmative action/ equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, immigrants, LGBT individuals and other applicants from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) accepts applications for outside fellowships from graduating law students, judicial law clerks, and new attorneys, interested in applying for an Equal Justice Works, Skadden, Soros Justice or other fellowship opportunities. The applications are generally submitted in the fall, a year in advance of the fellowship start date at CLSEPA. We are also happy to host recent graduates with Bridge fellowship funding from their law schools. Our office does not currently offer any fellowship opportunities with funding provided by our agency.

CLSEPA is a grassroots community based organization which first opened in 2002. CLSEPA, and its predecessor agency, East Palo Alto Community Law Project, have provided high-quality legal services to low-income, under-served individuals in East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Through combined efforts of our staff, volunteer attorneys, law students, sponsors and individual donors, CLSEPA provides legal counsel to those who otherwise would not enjoy the protections of our legal system.

Our current practice areas include Immigration, Housing, Civil / Consumer Protection, Anti-Predatory Lending and Home Mortgage Foreclosure Programs.

Read more about our fellowship opportunities here: 2012 Fellowship Announcement

To inquire about fellowships, please email: fellowships@clsepa.org.