Community Law Project Provides Free Legal Services at Event Organized by Assemblymember David Alvarez

SAN DIEGO (June 4, 2024) – Last week, California Western Community Law Project (CLP) staff and students provided free legal services to San Diego locals in a pop-up clinic at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Barrio Logan. The clinic was organized in partnership with Jewish Family Services (JFS), which provided immigration counseling at the event, and with the office of city Assemblymember David Alvarez, which provided support for the pop-up.   

This summer, the Community Law Project is taking the opportunity to organize pop-up clinics in new locations throughout the city. CLP Assistant Director Ted Janowsky said, “CLP’s pop-up clinics create access to legal services and resources in San Diego neighborhoods, like Barrio Logan, that have been historically underserved. CLP is fulfilling its mission of meeting clients where they are, at convenient locations in the community.” 

Alongside leadership at Our Lady of Guadalupe and JFS, CLP provided services to clients on a wide range of legal issues, including housing, employment, and family law. The vast majority of clients at the clinic were from working families and Spanish-speaking. California Western student clinicians, working under attorney supervision, were able to serve this client population with the assistance of volunteer Spanish language interpreters. Lizeth Cervantes, CLP’s Community Education and Outreach Coordinator, said “Our Lady of Guadalupe church is a hub for the community, and we were welcomed with open arms.”

In CLP, students are tasked with interviewing clients, listening carefully for the primary legal issue, and providing accurate legal information, advice and counsel, or a referral to a service provider when appropriate.  

“Working with vulnerable populations in the San Diego area is an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Michelle Valania 3L, who volunteered at the pop-up and continues to work with CLP as a Student Fellow. “No matter where my legal career takes me, this experience has instilled in me the desire to contribute to the efforts of making legal resources accessible to the most vulnerable in our community.”

To learn more about California Western’s Community Law Project click here.