Volunteer With Us

As one of the nation’s largest providers of pro bono services, Public Counsel needs people like you to make a difference. With the help of thousands of volunteers who give their time and talents, we are able to change people’s lives every day. 

Our volunteers are expertly trained and mentored by our staff and help to provide legal representation to more than ten thousand low-income individuals, families, nonprofits, and small businesses each year.  The breadth of our practice allows us to offer a wide range of pro bono opportunities, both discrete and more in-depth, and for both transactional specialists as well as litigators.

To get started, please scroll down to select the appropriate type of volunteer opportunity. We look forward to working with you and thank you for partnering with us to ensure access to justice for all! 

Whether you are a sole practitioner, in-house counsel, brand-new associate, or partner at a firm, there’s a place for you on our team.

Help a torture victim win asylum. Secure special education benefits for a student. Tackle a consumer case. Help a child join her new family. Join a clinic or lead a training. There are many ways to get involved. See our current volunteer opportunities here:

Are you looking for an introduction to litigation while helping BIPOC and low-income clients? Public Counsel’s Consumer Rights and Economic Justice Project could use your help! We rely on volunteer attorneys to help us with various aspects of our cases—such as interviewing clients and witnesses, analyzing potential cases, researching pertinent aspects of law, drafting memoranda, and engaging in various other associated litigation tasks. Our volunteer attorneys include those who are waiting for bar results, between jobs, new to Los Angeles, or looking to widen their horizons and get into public interest law.

Public Counsel’s Encore Program is for retired California attorneys who want to stay active and engaged in the practice of law. It offers pro bono opportunities to give back and help our most vulnerable community members. By joining this program, Public Counsel will provide the volunteer:

• Free Active Bar Membership
• Free MCLE training
• Free malpractice insurance coverage
• All the training & technical support you will need
• Flexible schedule

For more information or to sign up, click here:

Summer Internships for Law Students

Our summer internship is a great way to flex your legal muscles. You’ll be part of an intensive program where you learn about the law and start making a difference for clients. Get front-line experience by fighting for consumers, immigrants seeking asylum, children and families, cutting through red tape for nonprofits, and more. Public Counsel has a vibrant summer internship program that includes law students from all across the nation.

For more information about the application process, click here:

For information on post-graduate fellowships, click here:

CARES Program: Connecting Angelenos to Resources and Essential Services

Public Counsel’s CARES program is a pro bono initiative that empowers attorneys, law students, and other volunteers to provide direct advocacy for low-income and unhoused individuals navigating the public benefits system. Since its launch 30 years ago, CARES has been a critical resource for helping Angelenos secure the support they need to survive and thrive.

What CARES Volunteers Do

Under the guidance of Public Counsel staff, CARES volunteers provide in-person advocacy at Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) offices, assisting individuals with:

✔ General Relief & CalWORKs (cash aid)
✔ Medi-Cal (health coverage)
✔ CalFresh (food assistance)

By volunteering with CARES, you will:

• Provide hands-on legal support to community members facing systemic barriers
• Gain insight into the realities of homelessness and economic insecurity in Los Angeles
• Develop valuable advocacy skills while helping people overcome barriers to accessing critical benefits.

What to Expect as a CARES Volunteer

Join us for one of our CARES outings. Each volunteer opportunity includes:

• A one-hour virtual training the week prior to your outing
• A two-hour in-person advocacy opportunity at a DPSS office (groups are limited to 6 participants per outing)

Get Started

Public Counsel often needs people with special skills to serve our clients’ needs. Whether you are a paralegal, forensic accountant, private investigator, translator, or student with skills that could help us, we often have cases requiring specialized expertise. We often need experts to come to our office to help, but some of these opportunities can be conducted remotely.

If you are a current volunteer, please enter your hours in the form below. You will be prompted to enter your name, email, project, date, type of volunteer, number of hours and the location where you volunteered each time you log in. It is very important that volunteers keep track of their hours for Public Counsel to receive funding from IOLTA.