Wednesday, October 8, 2014 in the East Village
Thomas Jefferson School of Law will hold another of its free Employee Rights Self Help Clinics on Wednesday, October 8, from 5:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. More than half of the appointment slots are already reserved for this free assistance, but there are still a handful of openings for individuals with employment law issues. The free assistance is offered for both English and Spanish speaking individuals.
The Employee Rights Self Help Clinic provides, one-time legal consultations to self-represented individuals with various labor and employment law problems, including issues related to wage and hour law, family or medical leave, discrimination and harassment. The 45-minute consultation per client is run by TJSL alumni lawyers who practice employment law. Those lawyers are paired with TJSL law students, who help the legal services consumers locate self-help materials and other resources.
TJSL Professors Susan Bisom-Rapp and Rebecca Lee serve as faculty co-coordinators of the clinic.
“Employees commonly have questions about workplace-related matters, but they may find it difficult to find the answers and may not have the means to consult a lawyer,” said Professor Lee. “Thomas Jefferson’s Employee Rights Self-Help Clinic will help provide individuals with the relevant information and resources so that they can more effectively represent themselves should they decide to proceed as pro se claimants.”
“Many workers have employment problems that go unaddressed because those employees lack information about their legal rights,” added Professor Bisom-Rapp. “Even when such people have information about their legal rights, they may misunderstand the legal issues involved. This problem has a socio-economic dimension; those who lack means often lack access to legal representation. The access problem is also one with racial and ethnic dimensions. TJSL’s Employee Rights Self-Help Clinic attempts to address this access to justice gap by providing an initial consultation to self-represented individuals – those who do not have a lawyer.”
Consultations are by appointment only. The location is 495 11th Avenue, at the law school’s Clinical Programs Office in the East Village area of downtown San Diego.
To make an appointment, please call (619) 961-4371.