And Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County- handles cases concerning family law, fair housing, landlord-tenant, special education, and immigration and naturalization. Pro bono work – volunteer legal services program in San Francisco – operates the homeless Advocacy Project, which addresses federal disability benefits advocacy, eviction defense in emergency situations, and immigration documentation. The Law Center in Contra Costa County – matches local pro bono attorneys with clients who do not qualify for assistance through existing service providers and who cannot afford paid representation. Law school has free clinical program, it is ran by the run school, managed by a law professor, and staffed by law students. The large law firms allow their new associate attorneys (impact cases) to handle the case from the beginning to the end. Public interest organizations – NAACP, MALDEF, ACLU, Disability Rights California, Consumer’s Union, Law Foundation for Silicon Valley, Western Center of Law and Poverty, Public Advocates, Bet …show more content…
Fee-Shifting – Statutes in California under CCP §1021.5 states, “Upon motion, a court may award attorneys’ fees to a successful party against one or more opposing parties in any action which has resulted in the enforcement of an important right affecting the public interest if: (a) a significant benefit, whether pecuniary or nonpecuniary, has been conferred on the general public or a large class of persons, (b) the necessity and financial burden of private enforcement, or of enforcement by one public entity against another public entity, are such as to make the award appropriate, and (c) such fees should not in the interest of justice be paid out of the recovery, if any.
Catalyst Theory: Prevailing Party: your case is moot and you get your attorney’s fees may be awarded even when litigation does not result in a judicial resolution. In 2001, the federal law states no longer under federal law, you must have that definite judgment or judicial