Pro Bono Opportunities
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please e-mail EJF Pro Bono Chair Lilly Marquez at gwequaljustice@gmail.com with your name, the name of the organization, your availability, and "Attn: Pro Bono Chair" in the subject line. You may contact the organizations directly for more information about the opportunities, but it is important that you sign up through EJF so that we can coordinate our efforts with the organizations and meet their changing volunteer needs throughout the year.
Remember: if you commit yourself to an event or a time slot, it is your responsibility to attend and to be punctual!
Law-related activities
Asian Pacific Legal Resource Center (APALRC) Hotline
| What: | APALRC is seeking law student volunteers to assist helpline callers with domestic violence, trafficking, housing, asylum, and a host of other types of cases. Helpline volunteers take calls from low-income individuals seeking legal assistance, and many of these callers do not speak English. Volunteers with Asian foreign language skills are particularly needed! |
| When: | Flexible |
| Where: | 1600 K St. NW |
| Contact: | Nadia Firozvi nadia.firozvi@apalrc.org |
CAIR Coalition
| What: | During weekly visits to Virginia jails, provide legal rights orientations to immigrant detainees and conduct intake. Can also volunteer at CAIR fundraising events. |
| When: | Varies |
| Where: | Varies; will meet at detention center if conducting intake or at fundraising event if volunteering there. |
| Training: | How to conduct legal rights training and intake; Spanish fluency is preferred. |
| Contact: | Lisl Hershberger, Legal Assistant lisl.hershberger@caircoalition.org |
| Website: | http://www.caircoalition.org |
DC Office of Administrative Hearings
| What: | Various opportunities to help improve access to justice for pro se parties at hearings:
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| When: | Flexible |
| Where: | Flexible |
| Training: | Minimal; focus on researching on your own time |
| Contact: | Faith Mullen; Columbus Community Legal Services The Catholic University of America (202) 319-6613 |
| Website: | http://www.oah.dc.gov |
Employment Justice Center
| What: | Interview Spanish- and English-speaking clients during intake hours. Issues include wage/hour disputes and claims of discrimination. The EJC does not take cases from intake but can refer cases out or review documents a pro se client wishes to submit to court. |
| When: | Wednesdays, 6-9 pm |
| Where: | Bread for the City, NW Center 1525 7th St., NW |
| Training: | Minimal; a training session may be held on campus sometime this semester |
| Contact: | justice@dcejc.org |
| Website: | http://www.dcejc.org |
KIND Project
| What: | Help provide legal representation to children that are in the asylum process without legal guardians by serving as an interpreter between the client and attorney. |
| When: | Varies |
| Where: | Varies |
| Training: | Minimal: how to work with minor clients. Spanish fluency or second language required. |
| Contact: | Jose Recio, GW Hispanic Law Student Association reciojose@hotmail.com |
| Website: | http://www.supportkind.org |
Our Place DC
| What: | Non-profit organization for presently- and formerly-incarcerated DC women. Volunteers will keep track of calls and requests from these women (i.e. database entry, letter writing to clients, filing at Superior Court, and helping with legal education classes to women in jail/hallfway houses). |
| When: | Flexible; open 9-5 M-F (until 7 on Thursdays) |
| Where: | Next to Eastern Market Metro |
| Training: | Minimal; regular volunteer sought |
| Contact: | Michelle R. Bonner, Director of Legal Services (202) 548-2400 |
| Website: | http://www.ourplacedc.org |
Restaurant Opportunities Center in DC
| What: | Help conduct ongoing survey of 500 restaurants in the DC metro area on wage/hour, health care/sick days, occupational safety and health, racial/gender discrimination in the workplace, etc. This type of survey has not been done before in the region. It will serve as a basis for any future litigation. (~3 hrs/week) |
| When: | Varies |
| Where: | Varies |
| Training: | Minimal; will be held end of September/early October |
| Contact: | Meghana Reddy, Director Meghana.G.Reddy@gmail.com; (314) 749-1785 |
| Website: | http://www.rocunited.org |
Small Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic
| What: | Small business owners meet with volunteer attorneys to get answers to their legal questions. Law student volunteers assist with client intake. |
| When: | Wed, Sept 23, 2009 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. |
| Where: | Reeves Center 2000 14th St., NW (U & 14th NW) 2nd Fl. Community Room Washington, DC 20009 One block from U St/Cardozo Metro stop on the Green Line |
| Training: | Minimal: sit in on intake, read packet |
| Contact: | Darryl Maxwell; dmaxwell@dcbar.org (202) 737-4700 ext. 3369 |
| Website: | http://www.dcbar.org/for_the_public/programs_and_services/ced_project/small_business.cfm |
University Legal Services
| What: | Participate in a monitoring project that has volunteers go to facilities that provide in-patient, involuntary psychiatric treatments and look for signs of abuse, neglect, or violations of patient rights. |
| When: | Varies |
| Where: | Varies |
| Training: | Friday, September 25, 2009, 3-5 pm. Volunteers receive training about what rights patients have, what kinds of issues to look for, and how to document concerns adequately. |
| Contact: | Alex Clark, Volunteer amsclark@gmail.com; (402) 960-1718 |
| Website: | http://www.uls-dc.org |
Non-legal activities
Habitat for Humanity
| When: | TBA |
| Where: | Varies (but in DC) |
| Training: | |
| What: | Helping in the construction of subsidized houses for by low-income families. You will participate in one step in the process depending on the particular home's stage the construction. |
| Contact: | Lilly Marquez, gwequaljustice@gmail.com |
Foggy Bottom Food Pantry
| When: | 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month, 9 am - 12 pm |
| Where: | United Church, G and 19th St. |
| Training: | |
| What: | The organization receives donations of food supplies from IMF, FDA, Dept. of Ag, church volunteers, etc. Every other Saturday morning, volunteers help package food and distribute the food to low income individuals and families that line up outside of the Food Pantry right across the street from GW Law. |
| Contact: | (202) 331-1495 |
| Email: | info@theunitedchurch.org |
Soup Kitchen
| When: | Weekdays |
| Where: | Sacred Heart Church, 16th St. NW near Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights |
| What: | Provides dinner to anybody who should come in. Frequently, the dinner program needs help in getting the food at Martha's Table on 14th St. The soup, sandwiches, and desserts are then loaded up and driven to the church by about 5:15 pm. Dinner is served, the church facility is cleaned and the soup tureen and boxes are returned to Martha's Table by about 6:30. |
| Contact: | Lilly Marquez, gwequaljustice@gmail.com |