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The Contra Costa County Bar Association prides itself on its many programs and events supporting members of our local community. These include our Education Outreach Program with middle and high schools, our Free Legal Workshops, our annual "Food From the Bar" drive with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties, our Court Scholarship program administered by Friends Outside, the Pro Bono panels, and our Fee Mediation/Arbitration Program. 

Please volunteer some of your time and expertise - once or twice a year - to keep these worthwhile programs operating.  Each program helps promote the legal profession in a positive manner.


Court Docents
Education Outreach Program
Fee Mediation/Arbitration Program
Food From The Bar Drive
 Free Legal Workshops
HERA - Housing & Economic Rights Advocates
 Richmond Youth Court
 The Law Center

THE LAW CENTER
Helping People Overcome Hardship Through Cooperation  
Serving Contra Costa County

PO Box 4105, Walnut Creek, California 94596 Phone/Fax: (866) 543-8017
Email: info@thelawcenter.cc  Web: www.thelawcenter.cc     

Email David Kam, the Pro Bono Coordinator for more information about volunteering your services.

The mission of The Law Center is to increase equal access to justice by helping low-income individuals obtain legal services in Contra Costa County.

The Law Center is a non-profit organization providing pro bono legal services to residents who do not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford to hire counsel and are effectively denied access to justice.  The Law Center responds to the needs of our local community by matching pro bono attorneys with clients who do not qualify for assistance through existing service providers and who cannot afford paid representation.

The Law Center operates in cooperation with the Contra Costa Bar Association and its Pro Bono Committee. 
HERA - Housing & Economic Rights Advocates

HERA is a California statewide, not-for-profit legal service and advocacy organization. HERA's mission is to ensure that all people are protected from discrimination and economic abuses, especially in the realm of housing. They focus particularly on the needs of those who are most vulnerable, which includes lower-income people, the elderly, immigrants, people of color and people with disabilities.

HERA's core practice areas are predatory or unfair mortgage lending, foreclosure prevention and fair housing. Their direct legal representation services are available primarily in Northern California , while their technical assistance, training and capacity building services are available statewide.

Website: http://heraca.org/index.htm 
Phone: (510) 271-8443.  

For Attorneys
PLEADINGS BANK

HERA maintains a library of useful legal pleadings to help consumer attorneys help the public. Membership is required to access these pleadings.  

To arrange for training or to discuss the possibility of co-counseling, contact HERA staff. 

EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM

In order to inform students, parents, and educators about the legal arena the CCCBA has launched a county-wide program to middle and high schools. THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
  • PROVIDE IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF LAW, THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND OTHER SUBSTANTIVE AREAS OF LAW;
  • DISCUSS WITH STUDENTS THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATION "When you Become 18 - A Survival Guide for Teenagers"; OR WITH PARENTS AND PTA's "Kids & the Law - An A - Z Guide";
  • ASSIST WITH LAW DAY AND CAREER DAY ACTIVITIES;
  • ACT AS A DOCENT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR SUPERIOR COURT AND JAIL TOURS;
  • MENTOR AN EXISTING MOCK TRIAL HIGH SCHOOL TEAM; or
  • JUDGE & SCORE MOCK TRIAL COMPETITIONS IN FEBRUARY.
Click here for more detailed information.

To volunteer, please contact the Education & Programs Coordinator, at (925) 370-2548.
FOOD FROM THE BAR 

Competitive food and money drive to benefit the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. Click here for fundraising ideas for the  Annual Food From The Bar Drive held each April.
HAVE FUN AND FILL A NEED.
BE A VOLUNTEER COURT DOCENT - DO IT FOR THE KIDS!

We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to serve as docents for the Court Tours Program, which was started by the Law League over 25 years ago.  Attorneys, support staff, friends, and family members are all invited to volunteer, and training will be provided.

About the Court Tours Program
From October through May, every Tuesday and Thursday morning beginning at 10:00 am, two docents from the Court Tours Program meet on the courthouse steps to conduct a guided tour for 5th and 8th graders. The students are first given a tour of the Courthouse, the jury assembly room, and the detention facility. This is followed by observing a “real” court proceeding in process.  In the final portion of the tour, students act as key players in a scripted mock trial, including judge, bailiff, district attorney, witnesses, defense attorney, as well as jurors voting on the verdict.

The Court Tours Program is always in need of new docents. The time commitment is usually 4-6 tours during the academic school year (tours run from 10:00am-appproximately 1:00pm), although some docents choose a greater commitment while others choose less.

If you are interested in learning more about this program, or would like to sign up for an orientation, please call Contra Costa County Bar Association’s Education Outreach Programs Coordinator at 925/370-2548.

RICHMOND YOUTH COURT CAN USE YOUR HELP!

The City of Richmond and its Police Department are sponsoring a youth diversion/intervention program, Youth Court:  Young People Delivering Justice. It is a voluntary alternative to the criminal justice system run by local students.  Trained students will run the court, in order to hold youthful offenders accountable by offering to make amends through community service, restitution, or teaching youth about the effects of their actions.

Attorneys can participate as a judge, mentor a youth "attorney" in the program (prosecution or defense), or conduct a training session.

For more information contact Tamara Walker at (510) 965-9201 or jindu@attbi.com. 

FREE LEGAL WORKSHOPS

Attention Attorneys & Student Section Members!

CCCBA is seeking attorney and student section members who are interested in volunteering for upcoming FREE LEGAL WORKSHOPS events. 

The workshops are a drop-in legal clinic where attorneys help members of the public handle their own legal problems. Applicants provide a brief description of the issue and identify adverse parties. This protects the attorneys from potential conflicts of interest. The attorney listens, asks questions and counsels the individual about their options, the risks and benefits of those options and the potential next steps to resolve the issues. Dinner is provided for volunteers.

Bilingual (Spanish/English) volunteers are encouraged to participate.

Students will have the opportunity to screen the public through an intake process and the opportunity to observe client interview techniques by being paired with an attorney.

Attorneys are needed for the following areas of practice:

  • Auto Insurance Litigation
  • Bankruptcy
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning
  • Taxes
  • Corporations/Partnerships
  • Consumer Law
  • Contract Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Employment Law
  • Family Law
  • Immigration
  • Legal Ethics/Attorney Malpractice
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Small Claims
  • Tort Law/Personal Injury
  • Traffic
  • Real Property/Landlord - Tenant

TO VOLUNTEER YOUR SERVICES or for more information call (925) 370-2548.

ACE is sponsored by the CCCBA Lawyer Referral and Information Service and the Pro Bono Section.

 
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