1. Project Overview
The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) Veterans Legal Services Project provides
pro bono legal services at Patriotic Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The Project assists
veterans to remove legal barriers to employment by offering a self-help clinic once a month
focusing on three areas:
• Self Help Resolving Tickets and Warrants
• Expungements: Clearing Criminal Record for Employment
• Reinstating California Driver Licenses
In late 2014, the LACBA Veterans Project established the Legal Access Center at Patriotic
Hall with other non-profit legal service providers, which serves as the first point of contact
for legal services.
The Need
• Los Angeles has the highest concentration of Veterans in the country
• more than 4,500 are homeless
• only 28% of pre-9/11 veterans are fully employed
The Project sees a wide variety of Veterans. Here is a snapshot of our clients:
• Average of five outstanding matters: tickets or criminal convictions or both
• Average age of 47
• 80% of our clients have incomes well below the Federal poverty line
• 51% of our clients are Veterans of the Desert Shield/Storm era or later
• 28% of our clients are post-9/11 Veterans
• Many are recovering from drug or alcohol problems and/or have been homeless
Results
In 2015 more than 450 people were assisted, with 80% receiving relief from their legal
barriers to employment. This relief includes successful expungement of qualifying
convictions, and can range from complete dismissal of citations to a reduction of fines &
fees or community service.
Unique methodology
LACBA has been successful in recruiting and training pro bono attorneys from law firms or
corporations who come as a group to “headline” a clinic. The LACBA staff provides the 90-
minute advocate training for the firm’s attorneys two weeks prior to the clinic date.
2016 Goals:
To increase the Staff Attorney and Director from part-time to full time enabling us to:
• Expand hours on-site at Patriotic Hall to increase access for Veterans;
• Increase outreach to the Veteran Community
• Implement additional service areas such as discharge status upgrades, small business
development & entrepreneurship, family law
For more information visit the Veterans Project website at www.LACBA.org/cfj/veterans