Community Counsel

The Community Counsel Program is a legal assistance program for eligible community-based nonprofit organizations.

Community Counsel Program provides pro bono transactional services to organizations that are working to better the economic and social conditions for low-income residents and communities in distress. We strive to help nonprofits more effectively address the legal and risk management issues that arise in connection with their operations.

Our clients serve:

• Low-income neighborhoods and homeless individuals
• Healthcare needs
• Victims of domestic violence
• Migrant Farmworkers
• Disaster relief and preparedness
• And more

Typically, the organizations we serve have less discretionary dollars in their budgets and generally cannot afford the fees charged by a private law firm.

When organizations are unable to afford an attorney:

• They either do not address their legal issues, or
• They hire attorneys with programming dollars thereby reducing the services they deliver to the community.

We leverage our limited staff resources by matching eligible nonprofits with volunteer attorneys in these areas:

• Corporate
• Real Estate
• Tax
• Insurance
• Labor
• Trademark
• Contract
• Land Use
• Regulatory
• General

Our goals:

Help eligible nonprofits build and maintain their capacity to serve the needs of our community.

Provide a credible source through which transactional lawyers may offer pro bono services.

How can you help?

Volunteer by:

• Adding your name to our Community Counsel list of participating attorneys
• Helping us recruit attorneys who have expertise in our practice areas
• Making yourself available to act as a mentor
• Joining our strategic planning committee now being formed

If you are interested in reviewing our Community Counsel Program case summaries for pro bono assistance, you are encouraged to register to volunteer and select "Community Counsel" when submitting your form.