Many local organizations provide pro bono or low-cost legal services for veterans and active duty military personnel. Here is a list of local military law, veterans affairs, and community engagement legal service providers:
DLA Piper LLP – Military Pro Bono Legal Services. Website: https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/focus/probono/signature-projects/
Legal Aid Society of San Diego - Website: https://www.lassd.org; Phone: (1-877-LEGAL AID or 1-877-534-2524). Free and low-cost legal help with consumer, criminal, family, welfare and health benefits, landlord/tenant disputes, and disability issues.
National Lawyers Guild Military Legal Clinic - Website: https://211sandiego.com; Phone: (619) 233-1701. Counseling for active duty military facing legal or administrative problems. Referrals to attorneys who handle military cases will be made when more extensive counseling or representation is necessary.
Naval Legal Services Office (Southwest) - Website: https://www.jag.navy.mil/legal-services/southwest/. Provides legal assistance in matters such as consumer/financial affairs, family law, foreclosure, immigration, notary services, powers of attorney, landlord/tenant matters, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and small claims matters.
North County Bar Lawyer Referral Service - website: https://www.lawreferral.org/?pg=main. Phone: 760-758-4755. Referral service for qualified, prescreened lawyers in various areas of practice.
San Diego County Bar Association Lawyer Referral & Information Service - Website: https://www.sdcba.org/index.cfm?pg=MainLRIS; Phone: (800) 464-1529, (619) 231-8585. Referral service for qualified, prescreened lawyers in various specialty areas, including military law.
San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program - Website: http://www.sdvlp.org; Phone: (619) 235-5656. Provides legal services to veterans.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic - Website: www.tjsl.edu/clinics/veterans-clinic; Phone: 619-961-4366. This legal clinic, which operates in partnership with Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD), provides residents and alumni of VVSD with legal assistance and representation for family, consumer, criminal, and administrative law issues.
University of San Diego Veterans Legal Clinic - Website: www.sandiego.edu/veteransclinic; Email: veteransclinic@sandiego.edu; Phone: (619) 260-7470. This legal services clinic specializes in assisting veterans who have a dispute with a for-profit educational institution or predatory lender regarding the use of GI Bill funds and related loans.
Veterans Village of San Diego Homeless Court Program - Website: https://vvsd.net/vvsd-programs/homeless-court/; Phone: (619) 393-2000. Special court session held once a month to help homeless veteran and nonveterans resolve misdemeanor cases. Attorneys also provide general legal information about matters that cannot be resolved through Homeless Court.
Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program - Website: https://www.vetsprobono.org. Provides assistance with appealing denials from the Board of Appeals, Discharge Upgrades, and Naturalization Assistance.
National Veterans Legal Services Program - Website: https://www.nvlsp.org. Provides assistance with Discharge Upgrades, Combat Related Special Compensation, Applications to Boards for Correction of Military Records (BCMRs) for veterans who wish to obtain medical retirement, Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) applications and appeals of denied claims, and representation to service members being processed through the Intergrated Disability Evalutation System (IDES).
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