Engage in your community
Engage in your community
Fall 2025 Pathway to Law program is open until 9/21
Volunteering helps others and builds your training, experience and networking. Check the opportunities below, and contact Work-Based Learning Coordinator Melanie Baeza or Job Placement Coordinator Alex Ortega for more.
Ayuda Domestic Violence/Family Law Legal Program Internships
Children's Law Center of California – Interns and volunteers may attend confidential juvenile court proceedings and witness the dynamics of how this system addresses the needs of families in crisis
Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – internships
San Diego City Attorney Internships – The City Attorney offers Legal Internship, Victim Services Advocate Volunteer, and Criminal Division Administrative Intern positions
San Diego County District Attorney - Students are encouraged to apply for positions that are related to their field of study or interest. Student worker assignments may include: Administration, Accounting, Reception, Facilities, Information Technology, Family Protection and Victim Assistance
San Diego County Public Defender – Interns may assist defense investigators in the Adult Criminal and Juvenile Delinquency Divisions, visiting crime scenes, interviewing witnesses, observing court hearings, taking crime scene photographs, and serving subpoenas.
San Diego County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab – Citizen Volunteer and Internship Program. Being a citizen volunteer is a non-paid position and will require a minimum number of hours of work per week. The time commitment will depend on the requirements of the project and area of the Crime Laboratory where work will commence. Applicants will need to pass a full background investigation and a truth verification interview.
San Diego Humane Society – Volunteer at El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside or San Diego Campuses, foster a shelter animal, help to rehabilitate wildlife, and more
Legal Aid Society of San Diego – Get training and mentoring from experienced attorneys, gain broad legal experience, and develop community contacts while helping disadvantaged San Diegans
REINS Equine Therapy – Volunteers lead horses, side-walk with students to ensure safety, groom and tack horses, and maintain and improve the facility, which helps clients refine fine motor, gross motor, bilateral coordination, oral motor and visual motor skills
Voices for Children – To ensure children have every opportunity to achieve stability, they are matched with caring volunteers—called Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs)—who advocate for their best interests. This program is active across California.
Volunteers in Probation (VIP) Program offers a host of volunteer opportunities:
Serve as a case aide, assisting a Deputy Probation Officer with a caseload of probationers by checking school attendance, helping with clerical duties, and other activities under staff supervision
Be a "big brother" or "big sister" to an incarcerated juvenile, providing tutoring or teaching.
Provide translation for Spanish-speaking or Vietnamese-speaking probationers or family members (and, to a lesser degree, translations in other languages)
Visit youths in juvenile facilities as a general visitor, to cut hair, coordinate recreational activities, create arts-and-crafts projects, or conduct programs
Serve as a guest speaker presenting on peer pressure, anger management, gangs, or drug abuse
Serve as a guest speaker on panels such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or Alanon
Do you know of a volunteer opportunity that you would like to see here? Let us know!