Elder Law Clinic
Enhance your legal education with Empire College’s School of Law California Elder Law Clinic.
Our Elder Law Clinic in Sonoma County is an elective class that enables third- and fourth-year law students to gain experience by working under the supervision of a practicing lawyer. Elder Law clinics in California provide free legal services for senior citizens and needy persons in the Sonoma County community.
Since opening in 2000, Supervising Attorneys Barry Adams and Lauren Gardner, along with Empire law students, have served more than 2,200 clients in the preparation of legal documents and as advocates in a variety of matters. Examples include:
Legal Documents
Durable powers of attorney for health care
Durable powers of attorney for finances
Credit problem letters
Banking dispute letters
Consumer fraud issues
Wills
Advocacy
Errors in billing
Banking mistakes
Interpreting court minutes
Eviction notices and landlord/tenant disputes
Social Security disputes
Deceptive vendors
Expungement information
Collecting small claims judgments
Probate information
NOTE: During Spring Trimester, our Elder Law Clinic in Northern California will be held on Tuesdays at 4:15 p.m. at the Silvercrest Senior Living Residence, 1050 Third Street, Santa Rosa. Phone messages may be left at 707-736-6150.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), effective March 16, 2020 until further notice, the Elder Law Clinic will be closed for in-person interviews. Phone messages will continue to be monitored and responded to.
I know that most of us are more than a little tired of being treated like silly old folks. These students do not talk down to you; i.e, they are not condescending. In my case, they are helping me to write a will (at my tender age of nearly 70!). They seem to have a wide range of knowledge. Those of us who have used the services are pleased with the help.
Esther Hybert
Disability Law Clinic
Our Disability Law Clinic in California helps our students gain real-world experience.
Our Elder Law Clinic in Sonoma County is an elective class that enables second-, third- and fourth-year law students to gain experience by working under the supervision of a practicing lawyer. Elder Law clinics in California provide free legal services for senior citizens and needy persons in the Sonoma County community.
Since opening in 2000, Supervising Attorneys Barry Adams and Lauren Gardner, along with Empire law students, have served more than 2,200 clients in the preparation of legal documents and as advocates in a variety of matters. Examples include:
Legal Documents
Durable powers of attorney for health care
Durable powers of attorney for finances
Credit problem letters
Banking dispute letters
Consumer fraud issues
Wills
Advocacy
Errors in billing
Banking mistakes
Interpreting court minutes
Eviction notices and landlord/tenant disputes
Social Security disputes
Deceptive vendors
Expungement information
Collecting small claims judgments
Probate information
NOTE: During Spring Trimester, our Elder Law Clinic in Northern California will be held on Tuesdays at 4:15 p.m. at the Silvercrest Senior Living Residence, 1050 Third Street, Santa Rosa. Phone messages may be left at 707-736-6150.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), effective March 16, 2020 until further notice, the Elder Law Clinic will be closed for in-person interviews. Phone messages will continue to be monitored and responded to.
I know that most of us are more than a little tired of being treated like silly old folks. These students do not talk down to you; i.e, they are not condescending. In my case, they are helping me to write a will (at my tender age of nearly 70!). They seem to have a wide range of knowledge. Those of us who have used the services are pleased with the help.
Esther Hybert
Disability Law Clinic
Our Disability Law Clinic in California helps our students gain real-world experience.
A collaborative effort between Disability Services and Legal Center (DSLC) and Empire College School of Law, our California Disability Law Clinic provides students the opportunity to participate in all areas of case development, from client interviews to court appearances. In these elective clinical training courses in California, students receive clinical training in Federal and California Disability Law. Each student is responsible for handling several cases within the area of Administrative Law.
Under the supervision of Law Professor Adam Brown, third- and fourth-year students represent clients before a Federal or State Administrative Law Judge. They conduct research, write legal briefs, interview clients, and argue their cases before the Judge. Disability Law clinical training gives students the experience of handling real cases on behalf of real clients and provides an exceptional learning experience for the students while benefiting those in need.
If you want to earn your education and gain firsthand experience in our Disability Law Clinic in Northern California, contact us today.
The nice thing for me is that I was able to help somebody who probably couldn’t otherwise afford legal representation. It absolutely changed my client’s life.
Don Brown
Immigration Law Clinic
Explore our Sonoma County pro bono Immigration Law Clinic.
This pro bono legal clinic is staffed by second-, third- and fourth-year law students from Empire College School of Law. Assisting them are students from the college’s paralegal program for bilingual translation, as well as other services. These quality pro bono legal services are for individuals and families who are otherwise unable to afford it.
This is the fifth pro bono legal clinic in Sonoma County offered by Empire College School of Law since 2000. Previous clinics have covered elder law, disability law, family law and small claims law.
The new clinic, in partnership with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, assists people in obtaining a new category of visa which was authorized by Congress as part of the 2000 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act.
People who qualify for this type of visa must prove to their legal representatives that they have been a victim of a crime, that they have suffered substantial physical or mental harm, and that they have assisted law enforcement in prosecuting the crime.
We have been so pleased with their quality that we’ve hired only Empire students for years. The results have been splendid for us and our clerks. The students have written wonderful legal briefs that have been used by the California Supreme Court in Three Strikes cases, have tried jury trials in our local courts, and have made a tremendous contribution to my office.
Bruce Kinnison, Sonoma County Chief Deputy Public Defender, Professor of Criminal Law
Small Claims
Earn college credit by volunteering at a small claims court in Northern California.
At Empire College School of Law, our second-, third- and fourth-year Juris Doctor students can volunteer their time or earn academic credits for 15 hours of telephone advice and five hours of in-person counseling each week at the Santa Rosa Small Claims Court. We cover a variety of California small claims court issues. Most common are landlord-tenant disputes, unfulfilled contracts, complaints about contractors and disputes among neighbors. About 50 percent of the people the student advisers talk to have already filed claims or received a summons. The rest are trying to determine whether they have a case.
Any claimant to the court, whether a resident of Sonoma County or elsewhere, can call 707-521-6534 during working hours Monday-Friday. Bilingual assistance for Spanish speakers is available. For complete information regarding clinic hours and services, please visit the Small Claims Advisory page.
This program is a great way for law students to get real experience in small claims court in Sonoma County.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Empire’s Small Claims Clinic is closed. Please do not come to Empire College for Small Claims help at this time; we are closed to the public.
We always advise mediation as a first recourse. A lot of times an agreement can be worked out with a simple phone call. But our students also help fill out forms, show how to name the party, have the party served with a complaint, and prepare for trial with witnesses and paperwork.
Professor Kadin Blonski
Family Law Clinic
Explore the Family Law Clinic and learn about California pro per litigation.
The Family Law Clinic (formerly called Self-Help Access Center-SHAC) has been able to expand its services by collaborating with Empire College School of Law and the Superior Court of Sonoma County. Through participation in this clinic, students learn about California pro per litigation.
The Family Law Clinic assists self-representing litigants, 70 to 80 percent of all family law cases, in preparing legal arguments and documents for court in family law matters. The parties receive much-needed help with issues such as divorce, restraining orders and custody issues, and students get hands-on experience in this elective course.
By assisting clients at the Self-Help Access Center, students learn about law, human nature, society and challenges people face on a daily basis.
Michelle Brown
Legal Aid Clinic
Assist Legal Aid of Sonoma County in serving low-income families.
Under the supervision of Professor Ronit Rubinoff, executive director, law students gain experience assisting low-income families and children at Legal Aid of Sonoma County. Legal Aid operates four primary programs through its Crisis Legal Advocacy Center: SAFE (services for domestic violence victims), C.A.P.P. (services for child abuse and neglect victims), HOME (habitability and eviction services), and a Legal Services Referral Program (LSRP). Legal Aid assists with a range of crisis needs, including family violence issues (domestic violence and civil harassment restraining orders), child abuse and neglect issues (protective guardianships for children) and low-income housing issues (eviction and habitability complaints).
This elective class provides students with real-life client counseling opportunities and exposure to a variety of poverty law topics. The clinic allows students to interact with clients, provide legal advice under the supervision of an attorney, draft simple pleadings, and direct clients to legal and non-legal resources. Students may work in the areas of Unlawful Detainers, Restraining Orders, Elder Abuse, and Guardianships. Students draft Legal Documents and Correspondence under the supervision of a practicing attorney. Some students may gain the opportunity to attend court hearings.
For us law students, it’s a complete education… coming full circle from the beginning to the end of a case.