CRS has partnered with Legal Aid at Work and the Black Worker Center (BWC) to establish this once-a-month employment law clinic serving low-wage workers and members of the BWC. Student volunteers will act as student-counselors who will interview clients one-on-one, discuss the clients’ legal issues with a supervising attorney, and then provide the clients with their rights and legal options. This clinic is available only to 2Ls and 3Ls through a separate application. This clinic is only available to 2Ls and 3Ls through a separate application. Please email the co-chairs listed below for more information.. 

Community Partners:
Critical Race Studies Program, UCLA Law
Legal Aid at Work
Black Worker Center

​Clinic Chairs:
Isaiah Zeavin-Moss, JD '24
Swathi Shanmugasundaram, JD '24

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

Through a community partnership with ACLU SoCal, the Education Rights Clinic will offer the following projects as volunteer opportunities for the 2023-2024 school year:

1. Monitor school board meetings for CRT, LGBTQ+, school police issues
2. Youth Liberty Squad Arts Justice Festival
3. Youth Liberty Squad Saturday convenings
4. Research LAUSD Archives for mentions of Black students

Community Partner:
ACLU of Southern California

​Clinic Chairs:
Aine Taylor, JD ‘25
Emily Filkin, JD ‘25
Mariam Elmalh, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

Infraction Clearance for Unhoused Neighbors attends a monthly community event in Mar Vista where service providers gather to provide services to unhoused people including but not limited to, clothing, showers, food, hygiene kits, legal assistance, benefit information, and housing applications.

Community Partners:
LA County Homeless Court (aka HEART, LA City Attorney)

Clinic Chairs:
Michelle Jimenez, JD ‘25
Sarah Boyle, JD ‘25
Owen Smith, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

The Labor & Economic Justice Clinic (LEJC) works in partnership with UNITE HERE Local 11, the Los Angeles-based hotel workers union that engages in innovative labor campaigns, as well as Strippers United, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit advocating the interests of strippers. Clinic volunteers will observe and take notes on bargaining meetings, participate and support any striking and picketing events, assist with intake and know your rights trainings for strippers, and conduct research on labor violations and legal protections.

Community Partner:
UNITE HERE Local 11

​Clinic Chairs:
Tabitha Leonards, JD ‘24
Kerry Rork, JD ‘25
Binwant Kahlon, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

LGL is a name and pronoun change clinic. LGL hosts multiple name and gender change clinics with the Trans Lounge each semester. Students support individuals seeking to align their names and pronouns with their authentic selves by filing court petitions.

Community Partner:
Trans Lounge
L.A. LGBT Center

​Clinic Chairs:
Lucy Weiss, JD ‘25
Jet Harbeck, JD ‘25
Benjamin Wu, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

*This clinic is currently not being offered.*

The Naturalization Clinic is a joint effort between El Centro Legal and UCLA's Law Students for Immigrant Justice (LSIJ), and is hosted by the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). There are currently around two million people in California who are eligible to naturalize and become citizens. Naturalization is incredibly important as it generally protects people from being put in deportation proceedings. The Clinic seeks to help these individuals naturalize by having law students volunteer at CARECEN's naturalization events. The events take place about once or twice a month (typically on Saturdays) at various community centers throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Volunteers help clients complete their naturalization applications (N-400) and fee waivers and prepare the application for clients to mail following the clinic. Spanish language skills are helpful but not required. 

Community Partner:
CARECEN (Central American Resource Center)

Clinic Chair:
N/A

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

*This clinic is currently not being offered.*

Public Counsel CARES (Connecting Angelinos to Resources and Essential Services) is a direct services initiative that helps clients overcome legal obstacles and administrative barriers in order to receive public benefits. CARES gives law students the opportunity to have a significant and immediate impact on the lives of homeless and severely impoverished Angelinos. Students will act as on-site advocates at different Departments of Public and Social Services in Los Angeles County, where impoverished, hungry and homeless individuals are most likely to need advice and legal aid.  In addition to helping clients obtain and maintain their cash aid and food assistance, students will give clients referrals to private and community aid organizations that offer basic human needs assistance and legal aid.  Volunteers will gain practice with client intake, advocacy, and dispute resolution and will be providing an invaluable service to their local community.

The clinic takes place at different DPSS offices on Friday afternoons. 

Community Partner:
Public Counsel CARES Project (Connecting Angelenos to Resources and Essential Services)

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

The collateral consequences of contact with the criminal justice system are far-reaching and create serious barriers to basic necessities such as securing employment, housing, education, vocational training, and loans. As a result, criminal records interfere with people's ability to support themselves and their families, which disempowers these people and their communities and increases recidivism. The Reentry Legal Clinic prepares expungement petitions and takes advantage of existing legal means to clear criminal records. Because of the vast number of people who come in contact with the criminal justice system every year, there is overwhelming demand for these services. The Reentry Legal Clinic is partnered with A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project, a trusted community resource that provides legal services and advocacy to alleviate the burdens of mass incarceration. Our volunteers work directly with clients preparing petitions and declarations that will be submitted to a judge. They are trained by attorneys from A New Way of Life on how to analyze complex court dockets, conduct effective client interviews with compassion and sensitivity, prepare expungement petitions, and write client declarations. Students then have the opportunity to apply these skills at our monthly clinics on Saturdays while receiving continued support from experienced volunteers and supervising New Way of Life attorneys.

Community Partner:
A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project

Clinic Chairs:
Zoë Juarez, JD ‘23
Chloë Smith, JD ‘23
Marisol Alvarez, JD ‘24
Rachel Denny, JD ‘24
Cameron Leska-Kent, JD ‘24
Alejandro Ramirez, JD ‘24

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

The Skid Row Clinic partners with LAFLA (Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles) and LACAN (LA Community Action Network) to assist unhoused individuals living in the Skid Row area with a variety of legal issues, including housing, domestic violence, consumer issues, government benefits, and other related issues.

Community Partners:
LACAN (Los Angeles Community Action Network)
LAFLA (Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles)

Clinic Chair:
Kimberly Welch, JD ‘25
Lauren August, JD ‘25
Tyler Caceres, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

*This clinic is currently not being offered.*

Teen Court is an outreach of the Los Angeles County Superior Court wherein young people who are suspected of non-serious crimes have the opportunity to avoid unnecessary involvement in the Juvenile Court and instead be questioned, judged and sentenced by a jury of their peers.  Court is presided over by a real LA Superior Court judge, and jurors are selected from the host high school’s student body. The young person who is found guilty then has the opportunity, upon successful completion of his or her probation, to have no record of a criminal conviction. UCLA Law student volunteers help the jurors in questioning the defendant, finding a guilty or not guilty verdict and, if found guilty, deciding appropriate sanctions. UCLA Law supports Teen Court at Venice High School remotely every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30-4:30pm. Volunteers are expected to attend at least one court session per semester.

Community Partners:
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Venice High School

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

The Tenants' Rights Clinic partners with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) in Santa Monica to advocate for low-income tenants facing possible eviction, habitability problems, rent increases, and other housing related issues.

Community Partner:
LAFLA-Santa Monica (Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles)

Clinic Chairs:
Ben Wu, JD ‘25
Sahar Mahboob, JD ‘25
Christian Giannini, JD ‘24
Kristen Stipanov, JD ‘24
Emma Engler, JD ‘24

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

As a joint effort between the Immigration Law Society and El Centro, the Immigration (VAWA) Clinic helps undocumented immigrants who have left abusive relationships or been victims of serious crimes submit VAWA or U-Visa applications. These applications allow them to stay in the country, receive a work permit, and obtain permanent residence. Eligible applicants are also placed on the path to US citizenship.  Volunteers work directly with clients, including survivors of domestic violence, as survivors of sexual abuse, felonious assault, and attempted murder. Clinic volunteers work in pairs and meet face-to-face with clients to interview them for their applications. Volunteers then draft a VAWA or U-Visa declaration and review it with the client.

Community Partner:
CARECEN (Central American Resource Center)

​Clinic Chairs:
Roger Valencia Ricardez, JD ‘25
Kaho Maeda, JD ‘25
Angel Valdez Ordonez, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

Veterans have made immeasurable sacrifices while serving our country, often enduring significant trauma in the process. Despite their sacrifice, the government often fails to provide veterans with the protection and care they were promised. UCLA Law students have the unique opportunity to give back to those who have served our country while honing valuable advocacy skills by joining LAFLA’s Veterans Justice Center on two distinct projects. Students can contribute to general intake on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. There, students will be exposed to a wide variety of legal issues (including VA benefits, housing, military discharges, and more) and will develop their interviewing skills through client interactions. Students can also contribute to the expungement project each Thursday to assist veterans in clearing their criminal records and removing barriers to employment and secure housing. Through this project, students will have the opportunity to gather evidence from criminal records, draft declarations, and prepare expungement applications all while making a meaningful impact on veterans' lives.

Community Partners:
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) Veterans Justice Center

Clinic Chairs:
Claire Canestrino, JD '25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality. Therefore, chairs cannot conduct intake interviews with potential veteran clients via email. 

While the student-run El-Centro Veterans Legal Clinic cannot conduct intake interviews via email, the UCLA Veterans Legal Clinic does conduct phone intake interviews according to a regularly updated schedule on the clinic's homepage.

The Workers’ Rights Clinic works with Bet Tzedek’s Employment Rights Project to assist people with employment issues. Clinic participants interview workers about issues they are facing including wage theft, discrimination and sexual harassment, unemployment insurance, unsafe working conditions, and retaliation.

Community Partner:
Bet Tzedek - Employment Rights Project

Clinic Chairs:
Carson McKinney, JD ‘24
Sabrina Szu, JD ‘25

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

*This clinic is currently not being offered.*

The Central American Resource Center's (“CARECEN") UAC Representation Project provides free legal services to unaccompanied youth facing deportation. Many of these children cannot afford representation, so these services can mean the difference between deportation and a path to citizenship. Alongside CARECEN attorneys, students will conduct legal screenings for minors in order to help identify potential defenses to deportation, including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and asylum. Students will develop client interviewing skills and knowledge of immigration law, while also helping these vulnerable children. Clinics take place remote weekl. Students are required to attend at least twice a semester. There is a high need for Spanish-speaking volunteers, but all students are welcome.

Community Partner:
CARECEN (Central American Resource Center)

Confidentiality Notice: Confidential information received via email is not subject to lawyer-client confidentiality.

El Centro Legal was originally founded in 1973 by UCLA La Raza Law Students Association (now the Latinx Law Students Association) as an experimental academic program involving its members and low-income residents of Santa Monica. The program took on the name of El Centro Legal de Santa Monica, placing special emphasis on addressing the needs of the Latino population. The El Centro program proved successful in meeting the needs of low-income people in the community, while at the same time providing practical experience for UCLA Law students.

Over the years, El Centro broadened its scope to provide volunteer legal clinics throughout greater Los Angeles in many different areas of law. El Centro Legal is currently one of the largest student organizations at UCLA School of Law and an integral part of the local community.