Volunteer Opportunities

Attorneys with active licenses to practice law in California may apply to volunteer if willing to commit to a minimum of 40 hours/week for 10 weeks. Opportunities will depend on experience and ability.

How to apply: Applicants should contact Chief Assistant District Attorney Lisa O. Lyytikainen, via email, c/o Executive Assistant Vianey Valdez at Vianey.Valdez@venturacounty.gov. Applicants should include a letter expressing their interest, including when they are available to volunteer, along with a resume.

The Family Justice Center relies upon a vital team of skilled professionals and community volunteers to deliver support and many services to those in our community who have been affected by family violence and trauma. We are currently seeking:

• Contractors and architects for future renovations
• Interior designers to design room décor and coordinate donations of items
•  Educators to host youth program activities
•  Camp HOPE Counselors – ages 17 to 24 – to attend two weeks of camp and attend reunion events
•  Special projects and event volunteers
•  Administrative and general office support
•  Client navigation and victim advocate assistants for the restraining order clinics and day-to-day operations
•  Greeters to welcome clients when they arrive and offer refreshments and attend to immediate client needs
• Groundskeepers and horticulturists for upkeep and beautification

To apply, complete this application and email it VCFJC.COOP@venturacounty.gov.

Law students at any stage of their education are encouraged to apply. Students are typically assigned to work with attorneys prosecuting homicide, gang, narcotics, sexual assault, domestic violence, fraud and a wide variety of felony and misdemeanor cases including robberies, burglaries, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism cases. A student may also be assigned to work in the writs and appeals unit, researching novel legal issues and writing pleadings and memoranda for distribution both within the District Attorney’s office and to local law enforcement agencies. Law students may be asked to assist in:

• Legal research and writing motions
• Reviewing transcripts of victims, defendants, witnesses
• Trial strategy discussions
• Collecting and analyzing statistics
• Preparing reports and memoranda
• Assembling trial notebooks
• Organizing evidence

Certification is not required but students who are certified are eligible to conduct evidentiary and law and motion hearings, including preliminary examinations, Penal Code section 995 motions, Miranda motions, and motions to suppress evidence. Certified law students appearing on the record in court are always accompanied by a supervising attorney. Training in how to conduct court hearings is provided.

Guided tours of the main jail and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory are arranged for summer student interns.

How to apply: Submissions are encouraged year-round, including from first, second, and third-year students. There are no deadlines. Law students who would like to volunteer for an internship opportunity should contact Chief Deputy Paul Nuñez, via email, c/o Executive Assistant Vianey Valdez at Vianey.Valdez@venturacounty.gov. Applicants should include a letter expressing their interest, including when they are available to volunteer, along with a resume. Law students are required to make a minimum commitment of 16 hours/week for 10 weeks during the school year and 40 hours/week for 10 weeks during the summer.

Read on about our law clerk program from deputy district attorneys who started with the office as law student volunteers:

Andrew Reid

Senior Deputy District Attorney

“If you want a clerking experience during law school that is interesting, come to the Ventura District Attorney’s Office. For me and the friends I made here in the clerking program, it was a fantastic experience. I learned what being a prosecutor is all about. Whether you want to become a deputy district attorney or not, the experience is invaluable and you get to work with great people.”

Pedro Hernandez

Deputy District Attorney

“I had a great time working as a post-bar law clerk here at the Ventura County DA’s Office. It was an opportunity for me to learn how to prepare cases for trial before actually stepping into a trial by myself, which was invaluable experience. I also enjoyed working with the other post-bar law clerks who started with me—there is a lot of teamwork and camaraderie when you are a post-bar, and there are always experienced prosecutors in the office willing to lend a hand as needed.”

Erin Meister

Deputy District Attorney

“I came to clerk at the District Attorney’s office just for the experience, not because I wanted to be a prosecutor. I think every law student should clerk for a prosecutor’s office. It will probably be the most interesting thing they do in their legal career.”

Ethel Hernandez

Ventura County Superior Court Judge & Former Deputy District Attorney

“I knew I wanted to practice criminal law and my mind was open to whether it would be as a defense attorney or as a prosecutor. I’m so thankful I interned in both areas. Volunteering at the Ventura District Attorney’s Office helped me make the right decision. Dynamic and caring prosecutors helped me as a student intern and now I count myself lucky to be able to do the same for current law students.”

Paul Hiepler

Deputy District Attorney

“As a lifelong resident of Ventura County, I knew very early on in my legal journey I wanted to represent the people of this great county in the courtroom securing justice for victims. The post bar program at the Ventura County District Attorney’s office not only solidified this passion but gave me the necessary tools to be the most effective advocate possible. The training and experience that post bars receive in this office are unmatched anywhere in the state.”