Public Law Center

Description

The Public Law Center, Orange County's pro bono law firm, is committed to providing access to justice for low income residents. Through volunteers and staff, the Public Law Center provides free civil legal services, including counseling, individual representation, community education, and strategic litigation and advocacy to challenge societal injustices. Now in its 29th year of service, PLC works with more than 972 volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students from throughout the county who volunteer their time and expertise. In the year 2009 alone, PLC staff and volunteers provided 45,454 hours of free legal services in handling more than 3,400 cases, serving nearly 15,000 low income children, adults and seniors in Orange County. We estimate that the value of free legal services provided by PLC staff and volunteers in 2009 is worth just under $17 million. Our volunteers include partners at major Orange County law firms, sole practitioners, young lawyers, law students, college students and an array of others concerned about ensuring access to justice. PLC's staff of 26 works to make certain that volunteers have the tools necessary to properly represent their clients. PLC carefully screens new cases to ensure that the matters are appropriate for placement with a volunteer attorney. PLC staff monitors all cases from the client's first contact with PLC until the case closes. PLC provides training in a variety of critical areas of importance for our volunteers, as well as substantive backup from the expert advocates on our staff. PLC staff assists with interpretation for non-English speaking clients who do not have their own interpreters and for volunteers who do not have diverse language capabilities in their office. Most importantly, PLC provides Orange County attorneys with the opportunity to help make sure that access to civil justice is available to all. PLC offers a variety of different types of pro bono work for potential volunteers, whether they are in large firms or small firms, sole practitioners, litigators or transactional lawyers, or law students. Our work includes: Private Attorney Referral - PLC has a longstanding relationship with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County by which Legal Aid refers indigent clients to PLC for placement with volunteer attorneys in the private bar. Clients' cases encompass a wide array of substantive matters including family law (e.g., dissolution, child custody and support, and paternity), children's issues (e.g., guardianship and adoptions), consumer fraud (e.g., auto purchase, lease or repair, trade school student loans, home improvement contractor fraud), bankruptcy, wills and uninsured tort defense. Orange County Human Trafficking Coalition - PLC is part of a coalition led by Community Service Programs to provide services to victims of the growing crime of human trafficking. PLC provides legal representation to victims in the areas of immigration, civil litigation and other appropriate legal remedies so they can begin their lives anew.

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