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Help a Small Business Owner Hire Their First Employee – PLC 26-0133596
Client, a sole proprietor operating a specialty trade contracting business serving residential and commercial clients, with plans to expand into automotive services, is seeking a pro bono employment law attorney to advise on the legal requirements for hiring their first employee. By taking this case, you will consult with Client on foundational employment obligations, including proper worker classification, new hire documentation and reporting, wage and hour compliance, and mandatory workplace notices under California law, and may assist with drafting any employment documents needed to implement that guidance. This matter is well-suited for any attorney with general employment law experience.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Help a Community Nonprofit Build a Health Law Compliance Framework – PLC 26-0133101
Client, an established nonprofit organization based in Orange County providing direct community services, including mental health support and health screenings, is seeking a pro bono attorney with health law and/or nonprofit compliance experience to assist with reviewing and drafting internal policies, procedures, and related documents to ensure compliance with HIPAA, Medi-Cal, Medicare, and other applicable laws. Client serves all age groups and partners with other community providers, making a sound compliance infrastructure essential to protecting the individuals they serve and supporting their mission of advancing health equity in the region. This matter may involve document drafting, and is well-suited for an attorney with experience in health law, nonprofit governance, or regulatory compliance.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Trademark Attorney Needed to Respond to USPTO Office Action – PLC 26-0140823
Client is a small business owner seeking to register a trade name with the USPTO. They have received a Nonfinal Office Action refusing registration on the grounds that the applied-for mark is merely descriptive under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark Act. The USPTO examining attorney found that the mark's individual components – and their combination – describe a feature or characteristic of the identified services, and declined to register the mark on the Principal Register. A pro bono trademark attorney is needed to assist Client in preparing and filing a timely response to the Office action. Client needs assistance developing arguments and evidence to overcome the Section 2(e)(1) merely descriptive refusal; evaluating whether the mark has acquired distinctiveness; and advising Client on alternative registration strategies, including amendment to allege use as a precondition to seeking placement on the Supplemental Register. This matter is well-suited for an attorney with experience in trademark law.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Assist a Recently Formed Nonprofit With Employment Law Compliance for On-site Residential Managers – PLC 26-0127591
Client, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals in recovery through safe, structured sober living environments, needs assistance in reviewing its internal procedures and policies regarding the employment of on-site residential managers to ensure it is in compliance with applicable wage and hour and other California laws. Your assistance will help strengthen Client’s operational practices to support its mission of providing stable housing and recovery-focused community support.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Help and Arts-Related Nonprofit with Review of Its Employee Handbook – PLC 26-0141978
Client is an Orange County nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underserved youth and communities through arts education, mentorship, and creative enrichment programs. Through community-based initiatives and artistic engagement opportunities, Client seeks to foster personal growth, build confidence, and create accessible pathways for youth development and self-expression. Client is seeking pro bono legal assistance to review and provide guidance regarding its employee handbook and related workplace policies. Assistance will help ensure Client’s employment practices are clear, compliant, and aligned with best practices as it continues to expand its programming and community impact.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Assist an Established Youth Nonprofit with Review of Its Contract with Its CEO – PLC 26-0125434
Client is an Orange County nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting vulnerable young women and mothers through housing, education, counseling, and life-skills programming designed to promote stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term wellbeing. Client’s Board of Directors is seeking legal assistance to review and provide guidance regarding its new employment agreement with its Chief Executive Officer. Assistance will help ensure the agreement is clear, compliant, and aligned with best practices while supporting the organization’s continued growth and mission-driven operations.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Help a Childcare Nonprofit with Review of its Employee Handbook – PLC 26-0141980
Client is an Orange County nonprofit dedicated to serving underserved individuals and families through community outreach, childcare services, and programs designed to promote stability, empowerment, and access to essential resources. Client is seeking legal assistance to review and provide guidance regarding its employee handbook and related workplace policies. Your assistance will help ensure Client’s employment practices are clear, compliant, and aligned with best practices.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Help a Client Form a New Nonprofit That Provides Support to New Parents – PLC 26-0134183
Client wants to form a new 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting new and expecting parents in South Orange County through meaningful connection, emotional encouragement, and practical assistance. Client’s mission is to foster community, reduce isolation, and provide resources and support services that empower mothers during pregnancy and parents in early parenthood. Client needs help with the formation of the nonprofit entity, including guidance regarding organizational structure, governance, and foundational corporate documents, along with obtaining tax exempt status with the IRS and FTB. This is a great way to support new parents in the community during a difficult transitional period.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Assist a Housing Nonprofit with a Current Issue it is Facing with Former Residents
– PLC 26-0141981
Client operates transitional housing programs that provide supportive housing and rehabilitative services to individuals participating in structured recovery and community reintegration programs. Participants reside in program-operated homes pursuant to program agreements and intake documentation that outline behavioral expectations, compliance requirements, and grounds for discharge from the program. Client is seeking pro bono legal assistance regarding participant removal and occupancy enforcement issues that arise when discharged program participants refuse to vacate program housing. Specifically, Client seeks guidance regarding the legal distinction between program participants and traditional residential tenants, including whether discharged participants may properly be removed without formal unlawful detainer proceedings. Assistance may include reviewing participant intake and policy documentation, advising on applicable California law, and preparing guidance materials or correspondence that may be used to help clarify the organization’s program structure and legal rights to local law enforcement agencies and other third parties.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Assist Nonprofit Wildlife Sanctuary Board Member in Challenging Restitution Demand
– PLC 26-0125742
Client is a volunteer nonprofit board member who offered his family’s property as a satellite rehabilitation site for a 501(c)(3) wildlife rescue organization. Following an inspection by Fish & Wildlife, animals housed at the facility were seized and transferred to a private wildlife care center. Client was subsequently charged in Orange County Superior Court with animal-related offenses. As part of the case, the prosecution is seeking approximately $120,000 in restitution, largely payable to the private care center that received the animals. Based on Client’s review of the care center’s publicly available financial records, including IRS Form 990 filings and municipal contracts, the requested amount may be inflated by as much as 20 to 50 times the center’s own reported per-animal costs. Client is seeking a pro bono attorney to prepare a detailed restitution challenge analysis and opinion. This would include reviewing the billing, benchmarking costs against the care center’s public filings, and researching applicable case law for use by the defense attorney. The final opinion is needed by July 1, 2026. This representation does not anticipate litigation or an on-record appearance. By taking this case, you can help ensure that any restitution sought is grounded in verified costs, while supporting a longtime community volunteer who dedicated his property to wildlife conservation.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Structuring a Nonprofit-University Partnership – PLC 26-0126313
Client is an established nonprofit organization currently in discussions with a university to form a strategic partnership aimed at expanding the organization’s reach and deepening its community impact. The proposed arrangement contemplates transferring certain assets and intellectual property to the university, while allowing Client to retain select rights associated with those assets. Client is seeking pro bono legal assistance to (1) evaluate whether the proposed arrangement complies with California law, including any potential impact on its tax-exempt status; and (2) draft a contract, memorandum of understanding, or partnership agreement that safeguards the nonprofit’s assets, preserves its mission, and supports a successful long-term collaboration. This matter would be well-suited for a transactional attorney with experience in nonprofit law, higher education partnerships, or intellectual property licensing.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Assist Existing Nonprofit with Review of its Employee Handbook – PLC 26-0125394
Client is a rehabilitation-focused program that brings together incarcerated individuals and shelter dogs in need of training and socialization. Participants work directly with the dogs, teaching basic obedience, building trust, and preparing them for adoption into permanent homes. The program not only helps reduce euthanasia rates and improve adoptability for at-risk dogs, but also provides participants with valuable life skills, a sense of responsibility, and purpose—supporting successful reintegration into the community. Client has recently hired an employee and is seeking pro bono legal assistance to review and provide guidance on its employee handbook, helping ensure policies are clear, compliant, and aligned with best practices.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Existing Housing Nonprofit Needs Advice and Counsel Regarding Privacy Best Practices
– PLC 26-0136022(B)
Client is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals facing housing homelessness, hunger, and trauma—particularly women, children, and families—by providing safe housing, food assistance, and supportive services. Through a holistic approach, Client offers transitional living programs, mental health support, life skills training, and community outreach, helping participants build stability and move toward self-sufficiency. Client works to restore dignity, create opportunity, and foster long-term positive change for some of the community’s most vulnerable populations. Client is seeking a pro bono attorney for advice and counsel regarding its privacy practices, particularly in connection with the collection and transmission of sensitive client data, including health and financial information, through online platforms.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
Help Launch a California Lifeguard Association Promoting Training and Water Safety
– PLC 26-0125223
Client is a professional lifeguard seeking to establish a California nonprofit association to support, organize, and advance the interests of lifeguards through training, professional development, advocacy, and public safety initiatives. The proposed organization is intended to be structured similarly to an existing State Lifeguard Association and to serve as a replicable model for future regional and statewide lifeguard associations. Client seeks pro bono legal assistance to form a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, develop governance documents and membership structure, and advise on obtaining federal and state tax-exempt status. Counsel may also provide guidance on structuring considerations related to membership associations, liability protections, and regulatory compliance. By taking this case, you can help establish a legally sound framework for a public safety-focused organization that aims to strengthen professional standards and community water safety across the state and beyond.
Email Supervising Attorney Brigid Joyce
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