Trinity Law School Clinics provide free legal services to the community while giving students the opportunity to put their classroom skills to work. Juris Doctor students are eligible to participate in the legal clinics upon completion or concurrent enrollment of 30 units. To review more information and the Clinic Application, click here. If you are seeking legal help for yourself or a loved one, click here for a list of resources in the southern California area.
This clinic is located on the grounds of the Orange County Rescue Mission, a transitional living facility for homeless individuals and families. Trinity students provide pro bono services to help residents with a variety of legal issues so that they can start their new life with a clean slate.
The Clinic’s mission at Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) is to serve the legal needs of the residents at the Village of Hope and the homeless population of the greater Orange County area.
Former President of Orange County Rescue Mission
“Trinity Law School is a wonderful example of an educational institution that is not just handing out degrees, but calling their students to provide a helping hand to the least, the last, and the lost of our community.”
Trinity’s first legal clinic, Trinity Law Clinic started in Summer 2009 as a partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission and joins in the purpose of the Mission “to minister the love of Jesus Christ to the Least, the Last, and the Lost.” Located on the campus of the Village of Hope, this clinic provides services to the residents of the Mission’s multiple programs around Southern California. Under the supervision of an attorney, law students interview clients and work with the supervising attorney to problem solve. Students address many of the biggest legal issues faced by the homeless including family law, criminal law, and debt issues. The clinic includes instruction on the provision of legal services, as well as hands-on training in interviewing clients, assessing legal needs, and providing answers to difficult legal issues.
Furthering Trinity’s partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission, the Mobile Legal Clinic opened its doors during the Spring 2012 semester. This “law office on wheels” runs in conjunction with other mobile services coordinated by the Mission: the Mobile Medical Clinic and the Chili Van. Each week law students, under the direction of a supervising attorney, work with low-income and homeless residents of Orange County. Students interview clients and provided information to them, help complete court or administration paperwork, assist clients in contacting government agencies and preparing for court hearing. Students address many of the biggest legal issues faced by the homeless including family law, criminal law, and debt issues. Through this ministry, TLS students are able to provide pro-bono legal services to members of society who might not otherwise have access to legal assistance. The Trinity Religious Liberty Clinic (TRLC) is a partnership with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), and operates on the campus of Trinity Law School. PJI is a non-profit providing pro bono legal services to churches and individuals primarily in cases involving the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. This writing-intensive clinic is designed to give students the unique opportunity to hone legal writing skills while under the supervision of an attorney specializing in constitutional law. Students will be exposed to writing various trial- and appellate-level documents including complaints and amicus briefs for current cases, and students’ research and writing will directly contribute important religious freedom matters.
Our mission is to defend (without charge) the religious freedoms, parental rights, and other civil liberties of people who cannot defend themselves.
Senior Counsel for Pacific Justice Institute & Trinity Law School professor
One of the most common categories of cases PJI handles involves street preachers who are being harassed by local governments, sometimes even being arrested, notwithstanding First Amendment speech rights. In this case, PJI is representing a man who was given a ticket for open-air preaching.
Professor Fired For His Faith
Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) secured a legal victory for Eric Thompson, a sociology professor at Moreno Valley College, who was fired for his discussions of “dangerous” conservative worldviews in his college classroom. PJI represented the professor in depositions, administrative hearings, and a multi-day arbitration conducted like a trial. The arbitrator, who found many of the claims against the tenured professor were unfounded, ruled in Thompson’s favor.
