Get some real experience doing consumer work on behalf of low income clients!

What is the Consumer Rights Workshop (CRW)?

The Consumer Rights Workshop is one of Berkeley Law's SLPS. Its members staff a free, evening legal clinic for low-income Alameda County residents. CRW's clients need help with a wide variety of consumer issues such as debt collection lawsuits, defaulted student loans, identity theft, auto issues, and much more. CRW is supervised by attorneys from Berkeley Law's clinical partner -- the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC).

Click here to learn more about CRW's attorney supervisors and EBCLC's Consumer Justice Clinic.

What will I do?

Members will attend from 5:15-8:30 p.m. every other week (the day may vary from semester to semester). For the first half-hour, CRW provides dinner and training. For the rest of the time, members will meet one-on-one with clients and provide brief legal services. This includes a variety of activities such as basic litigation (filing answers, discovery, etc.), writing demand letters, and filling out legal forms. Members do not need any special knowledge or skills to participate.

Why Join?

Clinic is a fun, fascinating, and moving experience where you can really impact people’s lives. It is also a great practical compliment to -- and break from -- the heavily doctrinal 1L curriculum. Members of CRW will get actual direct-client interaction and basic litigation experience, both of which will help you stand out from your classmates when you apply for 1L summer jobs. CRW is also a great way to get a manageable taste of the East Bay Community Law Center, and inform your choice of whether to work at EBCLC in your 1L summer or during your second two years. Finally, one-year participation in CRW will give you enough pro bono hours for both your summer Edley grant and for the New York Bar.

Interested?

We recruit at the beginning of every semester, but feel free to reach out to us at any time: ConsumerRightsWorkshop[at]gmail.com.