2027 Summer Law Clerk at Public Law Center

Public Law Center•Santa Ana, CA

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Public Law Center (PLC) is seeking law students for its Summer Law Clerk program. This program offers students the opportunity to gain practical legal experience while serving low-income and disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities. Clerks will engage in client interaction, legal research and writing, pro bono support, and community education and outreach. All positions are on a hybrid schedule in Santa Ana, California. Specific project duties will be assigned based on available projects, which include Affordable Housing and Land Use Advocacy, Consumer Law, Family Law, Health Law, Housing & Homelessness Prevention, Immigration, Impact Litigation and Policy Advocacy, Mobilehome Advocacy, Small Business and Nonprofit Project, and Veterans Project. Some positions are paid, some are unpaid, and some may offer academic credit. Specific language skills (Spanish) are required or preferred for certain projects.

Requirements

First, second, or third year (part-time) law student
Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income or disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities
Excellent research and writing skills
Sensitivity and ability to work with victims of domestic violence and other sensitive populations
Spanish speaker required (for Family Law project)

Nice To Haves

Spanish speaker preferred (for Immigration project)
Students who have completed Evidence and Civil Procedure may be eligible to make court appearances (for Family Law project)

Responsibilities

Perform new case intake interviews; contact clients for follow-up through interviews and telephone calls; perform fact gathering; present new cases at weekly Case Acceptance meetings.
Prepare opening case memos; draft correspondence, pleadings, and motions.
Assist in drafting manuals, samples, and educational presentations to support pro bono attorneys working on PLC cases.
Prepare cases for placement.
Research legal issues; prepare client education materials; assist in conducting presentations to clients.
Assist in monitoring city actions to ensure compliance with approved, adopted housing elements and other state land use laws.
Research and investigate potential violations.
Assist with advocacy efforts to improve local and state-wide affordable housing production and land use policies including potentially working with community groups advocating for affordable housing and emergency shelters.
Research and investigate fair housing issues and policies and programs that foster patterns of segregation.
Assist with ongoing litigation related to Housing Element and land use compliance and preparation for additional litigation.
Assist with consumer matters, including debt collection (harassment and defense), bankruptcy, various types of frauds and scams, and identity theft.
Assist with courthouse-based clinics where individuals are provided brief counsel and advice.
Work focused on older adults, particularly applications for elder abuse restraining orders and assistance with financial scams that target the elderly.
Assist with providing trauma-informed legal services to litigants with domestic violence, custody, divorce, child & spousal support, guardianship, and dependency adoption matters.
Interview clients, attend legal clinics, prepare pleadings and legal briefs, write letters, and provide advice and counsel to clients.
Make court appearances (for students who have completed Evidence and Civil Procedure).
Assist indigent persons with issues involving health insurance eligibility and coverage.
Assist individuals with health coverage denials, resolving medical billing problems, and navigating health care coverage eligibility, including for Medi-Cal, Covered California, Medicare, and employer-sponsored plans.
Support clients with Independent Medical Review requests, access to health records, advance health care directives, and Medi-Cal Estate Recovery questions, ensuring continuity of coverage and enforcement of patient rights for underserved Orange County residents.
Assist individuals and families with housing-related issues, such as evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and housing voucher/subsidy terminations.
Draft pleadings and motions, write demand letters, provide advice and counsel to clients under attorney supervision, and assist attorneys in preparing for court hearings.
Assist victims of human trafficking, asylum seekers, victims of domestic and other forms of violence, unaccompanied minors, individuals facing deportation proceedings, and others who need assistance completing and following up on pending immigration applications.
Complete intakes and assist individuals in completing applications at DACA, naturalization, and consultation clinics.
Attend community and collaborative meetings.
Shadow attorneys representing clients in immigration and state court proceedings.
Focus on impact litigation cases and policy issues affecting low-income communities.
Assist in the preparation of pleadings, motions, and discovery requests.
Gain experience in policy advocacy, including drafting regulatory comments and letters, and researching legal issues and proposed legislation.
Assist mobilehome owners, who are also tenants in the parks where their mobilehome is located, with solving legal issues arising out of their homeownership and/or tenancy.
Conduct legal research and investigation, draft demand letters, provide counsel and advice, and engage in litigation.
Work on advocacy efforts for local and state-wide improvements to protections for mobilehome owners and help mobilehome resident associations advocate for themselves.
Assist community-based nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
Assist with corporate formation and compliance; obtaining tax exemption status; drafting policy documents, reviewing contracts; and employment issues.
Assist low-income veterans by providing legal services on a variety of issues including housing matters and eviction defense, government benefits applications and appeals, discharge upgrades, and post-conviction relief.
Attend and assist with legal clinics.