Apply to volunteer with us! Our work would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. Our programs serve more than 9,000 people a year. We help the community’s most vulnerable members with accessing the justice system and strengthening their personal, professional, and economic security.
While many of JDC's volunteers are attorneys, we have volunteer opportunities for everyone. Whether you are an aspiring lawyer, a social services professional, or fluent in another language, we welcome your support. Take a look at some of our opportunities for non-attorneys below.
Legal Advice and Referral Clinic
The Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC) is a walk-in legal clinic that occurs on 1-2 Saturdays per month. Non-attorney volunteers can volunteer to conduct client intakes or act as interpreters (especially in Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese) at LARC.
Interpreter Project
If you are bilingual (in any language, but especially Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin), please consider volunteering for the Interpreter Project.
Volunteer Interpreter Application
For beginning interpreters this is an opportunity to gain first-hand experience as a legal interpreter. If you are a seasoned interpreter your skills will ensure that our low-income, monolingual clients have access to legal counsel.
Once you attend our free Interpreter Project training, we will add you to our volunteer panel based on the language you speak. Email probono@sfbar.org to sign up for the training. Once you are on our panel, you will begin receiving emails of available opportunities for your specific language. Interpreters are free to choose the cases that match their interest and time availability.
Homeless Advocacy Project
The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) assists individuals or families who are homeless or at serious risk of becoming homeless. The primary areas of service given at HAP are eviction defense, SSI advocacy, and social service assistance. Those interested in volunteering at HAP must meet the following criteria in order to be a good fit for this project:
- A flexible schedule during business hours to volunteer at HAP’s office in Civic Center
- An interest in serving homeless individuals and those suffering from mental health illness
For more information about this project, please email probono@sfbar.org.
Social Services
Through JDC’s holistic model, our social services staff come together with attorneys to address the clients’ legal as well as underlying psycho-social needs. If you are interested in volunteering and you are (or are a candidate for) an MSW , BASW , Marriage and Family Therapist, Psychiatrist or Psychologist, please email us at probono@sfbar.org.
