San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (SDVLP)

Sdvlp's largest area of Program service is domestic violence/family law. Sdvlp staff and Volunteer attorneys provide legal representation to domestic violence survivors at six domestic violence restraining order clinics, located at four courthouses and two family justice centers throughout the county. Sdvlp staff and volunteers provide trauma-informed legal services to survivors of abuse, helping them to fill out paperwork necessary to obtain life-saving protective orders and representing them at their court hearings. Sdvlp staff and Volunteer attorneys also provide legal assistance in other family law matters, such as divorce, child custody, child support, and spousal support, to empower survivors and their children to maintain physical and financial freedom from their abusers and end the cycle of violence.

Sdvlp is also a vital resource for low-income San diegans in a variety of other areas. Sdvlp's tenants' rights Program helps prevent unlawful evictions and homelessness. Our microbusiness and nonprofit support Program helps low-income entrepreneurs to create sustainable businesses that lift themselves and their families out of poverty, and helps strengthen nonprofit organizations serving low-income San diegans. Our hiv/aids legal services Program helps clients access medical care, housing, and fight discrimination. Because of sdvlp, clients who would otherwise have had to navigate the legal system alone received legal assistance in 6,000 cases last year.

San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program is a vital legal resource for San Diego children and youth. Sdvlp's special education advocacy Program assists disabled foster youth to assert their educational rights and remain in school. Sdvlp's guardianship Program helps caregivers obtain legal custody of children who have often been abused or abandoned, enabling them to live in safe and stable homes.