Donate Now

What is CLP?

Community Law Project (CLP) is a program of California Western School of Law. CLP provides pro bono legal services, including legal advice, consultations, and referral services to low-income people in the greater San Diego area. Our collaborative model allows us to provide clients with a variety of necessary services in one location while at the same time providing California Western law students with an opportunity to hone their skills and gain real life experience.
CLP has been recognized both locally and nationally. In October 2025, the Community Law Project received the Bernard E. Witkin Award for Excellence in Legal Education by the San Diego Law Library Foundation. The Witkin Awards are presented annually to members of the San Diego legal community for civic leadership and excellence in the practice of the law, adjudication of the law, legal education, and the advancement of access to justice. This was an especially timely award for CLP as the program also celebrated 20 years of providing services in San Diego County.
The goal of the Community Law Project is to serve low-income, vulnerable, and unhoused individuals in the San Diego community by providing free legal advice, assistance in navigating through complex social systems, and referrals to resources that help build self-sufficiency and economic opportunity.
CLP is a collaboration between California Western School of Law and several other organizations, including:
  • The UC San Diego School of Medicine
  • The UC San Diego School of Pharmacy
  • The UC San Diego Pre-Dental Society
  • The Third Avenue Charitable Organization
  • Herbert Hoover High School
  • Rosa Parks Elementary School
  • St. Leo Mission Church

Mission Statement

The California Western Community Law Project (CLP) works in partnerships to provide sustainable and competent legal services to low-income and indigent members of the local community while advancing the legal profession by instilling a commitment to public service in California Western School of Law students. CLP offers legal services in collaboration with its professional partners to offer holistic problem-solving solutions to its clients.

Impact on the Community

Vulnerable individuals may not have access to the necessary resources to adequately advocate for themselves and as a result may not know how to best assert their rights in a given situation.  Community members often seek assistance for multi-layered legal and social issues and may not be aware of the resources available to them.  CLP’s view is that prevention is always less burdensome than remediation.  By providing assistance, direction, and connections to resources, we can promote self-sufficiency within community members resulting in more affordable services for the individual and a reduce in overall costs to the community as a whole.

To date, we have served over 8,000 clients. In our experience, issues are often resolved in one or, in some cases, two meetings. While we are not always able to track long-term outcomes, the evidence of our impact is seen in the resolution of client concerns, referrals to appropriate resources, and the appreciation expressed by clients for the services provided.