Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC)

Social Justice & Equality
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Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC)

Social Justice & Equality
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone (213) 736 - 1031
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Our mission

DRLC’s mission is to champion the rights of people with disabilities, cancer and serious illness through education, advocacy and litigation.
Opportunities

Community Advocacy Program

Volunteers for the Community Advocacy Program (CAP) gain hands-on experience assisting persons with disabilities and their advocates with disability related issues via the intake line. They also gain case management experience and may develop community outreach and education experience. The CAP Program accepts undergraduate, graduate, and law student volunteers and well as community volunteers.
  • Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 21+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • Formal, Skilled
  • Weekdays

Junior and Summer Associates

DRLC is looking to work with Junior and Summer Associates to focus on potential high impact court cases affecting people with disabilities. This experience may range in scope from discrete projects to comprehensive early case assessment and may include initial legal research and memo drafting, early stage fact finding and investigation, strategic assessment of case value, and crafting long-term strategies. Opportunities may include service animals, mobility access to parks and concerts, transportation access, and juvenile justice issues.
  • Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 21+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • Formal, Skilled
  • Weekdays

Administration Volunteer

Assist with operations, financial/statistical projects, administrative work, filing documents, organizing press packets, putting together resource packets, creating address labels and data entry. DRLC also needs paralegal assistance with case files.
  • Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 55+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Office work, Indoor
  • On-site, Skilled
  • Weekdays

Intake Volunteer

Return phone calls regarding disability related disputes, consult with attorneys on recommendations and write letters to callers providing resources and referrals. This does not require legal knowledge or a law degree, just the ability to ask a set of questions, listen sympathetically, take notes of the caller’s issue and consult with an attorney regarding what course of action DRLC will take. This is a great opportunity to help someone in a difficult situation.
  • Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 55+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • Formal
  • Weekdays

Cancer Rights Program Opportunities

Students or volunteers working with DRLC’s Cancer Legal Resource Center gain hands-on experience assisting people with cancer, cancer survivors, their families, friends and others affected by cancer, primarily by providing assistance via a national hotline.
  • Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 55+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • On-site, Formal
  • Weekdays, Evenings, Weekends

Special Events

DRLC also needs volunteers to assist with planning and staffing outreach events (health fairs, open houses, training events). Work on the entire event or just one part.
  • One-time, Occasional
  • 55+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Event support
  • None, On-site
  • Weekdays, Evenings, Weekends

Pro Bono Attorney Opportunities

The Pro Bono Program gives attorneys interested in disability civil rights law, special education law and other related opportunities a chance to hone their advocacy skills and to make a difference in the community. Our main programs are the Disability Litigation Program and the Education Advocacy Program.
  • One-time, Occasional, Weekly, Monthly
  • 21+, 55+
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • Skilled
  • Weekdays

Civil Rights Program Externship

Students working with DRLC’s Civil Rights Program will have the opportunity to: (1) work on class action and individual impact cases with the Disability Litigation Program and Education Advocacy Programs, allowing them to develop legal research and writing skills, and actively participate in all phases of litigation; and (2) conduct intake and provide limited scope advocacy services under the Community Advocacy Program. Students can enroll in as low as two units per semester for the Civil Rights Program. Given the nature of this externship, students schedule their own in-office hours to fulfill their requirements.
  • Weekly, Monthly
  • 21+, Adults
  • Individuals
  • Indoor
  • Formal, Skilled
  • Weekdays
About us

Throughout its 40-year history, DRLC has stood at the forefront of achieving equal rights for people with disabilities. DRLC promotes beneficial change through its precedent setting individual and class action court cases that challenge discriminatory practices by government agencies, businesses and educational institutions. We provide all of our services cost-free; most of our clients are at or below the poverty level. DRLC’s goal for success is to eradicate discrimination through impact litigation affecting large numbers of people with disabilities, cancer and other serious illness.