Volunteer With Us
We have pro bono opportunities for attorneys; volunteer opportunities for all community members, and internships for students seeking professional experience. Please check this page often for the latest ways to get involved with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California! To be added to Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’s volunteer database, and to receive periodic emails regarding volunteer opportunities, please complete this form.
Please contact Volunteer Operations Analyst, Nathan Vuong, at [email protected] with any questions.
Volunteer Opportunities
Citizenship / Naturalization Workshops and Clinics
What: Citizenship Workshop volunteers help individuals complete the Application for Naturalization (Form N-400), review eligibility for various waivers, and provide in-language resources on the naturalization process. Advancing Justice will provide training in advance, and supervision.
When: RSVP to assist clients IN-PERSON (second Thursday of every month) or virtually (2nd & 4th Thursdays) with citizenship and naturalization applications.
Where: AJSOCAL, 1145 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Fl. Los Angeles.
Sign up Here.
Citizenship Volunteer Sign-Up Procedures:
Once you receive your confirmation email from our staff, you MUST RESPOND within 24 hours to confirm your availability. Otherwise we will reassign your slot to another volunteer. Thank you for your understanding of our efforts to combat last-minute volunteer cancellations!
Interpreters
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California provides services to diverse communities, and is committed to helping them overcome language-access barriers to education, legal, healthcare, and other institutions. Help us create access by donating your interpretation and translation skills! We maintain a volunteer interpreter corps that our staff reaches out to on an as-needed basis, and have particular need for Asian and Pacific Islander languages, and particularly South and Southeast Asian languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Hmong, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese.
To better serve the community, we are expanding our reach and are looking for volunteer interpreters who are fluent in either Russian or Ukrainian.
To offer interpreter services, please contact Michi Lew with your language proficiency and availability.
OC Immigration Project Law Intern
Position: Clinic Volunteer (Interpreter/Naturalization Assistance)
Location: Various Naturalization Clinic Events Across Orange County
Type: Volunteer (Unpaid)
Commitment: Event-Based (Flexible Scheduling)
About AJSOCAL: Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for civil rights and providing legal services to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved communities. We work to advance justice through community engagement, legal advocacy, and public education.
Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities:
- Interpreter:
- Language Support: Provide interpretation assistance for non-English speaking clients during naturalization clinics.
- Client Communication: Facilitate clear communication between clients and legal staff, ensuring accurate understanding of legal processes and forms.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Assist clients with compassion and cultural sensitivity, helping them navigate the naturalization process.
- Naturalization Form Assistance:
- Form Completion: Help clients accurately complete naturalization forms, including N-400 applications, under the guidance of legal staff. Training will be provided beforehand.
- Client Support: Offer support and guidance to clients as they fill out forms, ensuring they understand each section.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Assist clients with compassion and cultural sensitivity, helping them navigate the naturalization process.
Qualifications:
- Fluency in English and at least one other language commonly spoken by the communities we serve (e.g., Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog).
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
- Experience in interpreting or assisting with legal forms is a plus, but not required—training will be provided.
- A commitment to AJSOCAL’s mission of promoting justice and equity for all communities.
How to Apply: If you are interested in volunteering at one of our upcoming naturalization clinics, please email Sabrena Tran (Legal Advocate Coordinator) via [email protected] Kindly include your availability and any language skills you can offer.
Additional Information:
- Volunteers will be scheduled based on clinic event dates and their availability.
- Volunteers who can assist in both interpretation and form assistance highly encouraged.
- No prior legal experience is necessary—training and guidance will be provided by our experienced legal staff.
- This is an excellent opportunity to give back to the community, gain experience in the legal field, and help immigrants on their path to citizenship.
Join us at AJSOCAL and make a meaningful impact in your community by helping immigrants achieve their dream of becoming U.S. citizens!
Pro Bono
For a full list of the members of the Pro Bono Advisory Council, please click here.
Pro Bono Spotlights:The Pro Bono Spotlight is a regular feature honoring Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’ dedicated volunteers and the important work they do to help us fulfill our mission.
Most recently, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’s Pro Bono Spotlight featured Ariel Tu, for her work on communications and development programs.
Past Pro Bono Spotlights have featured:
- Irene Quach, for her work on communications, development, and litigation programs
- I-Hsuan Lin, for her work with our Citizenship Project
- Silhan Jin, for his work with SAFE
- Angelique Nguyen-Le, for her work with our litigation unit
- Pomona College student Vy Doan
- Shirley Wei, an immigration attorney
- Shang Liu, a USC doctoral student
- Eric Fanchiang, a UC Irvine School of Law 3L who volunteered remotely with our Survivor and Family Empowerment (SAFE) Project.
- Eileen Ma, volunteer attorney with our impact litigation unit
- Ashuka Xue, volunteer with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California Health Access Project
- Ayano Wolff, longtime volunteer turned temporary staff attorney with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California Survivor and Family Empowerment (SAFE) Project
- Elaine Hang, Arroyo High School graduate and Dickinson College incoming freshman
- USC’s Shelley Siying Wang
- Holland & Knight LLP’s Cheryl Kang
- Duane Morris LLP’s Cyndie M. Chang
- Bird Marella’s Nilay Vora
- Gibson Dunn LLP’s Todd Truitt
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California offers internships and law clerkships for undergraduate, graduate, and law students seeking work experience at a public interest organization. Our law clerkships for the year 2024 will be funded by the State Bar Legal Aid Fellowship Grant Program, and each fellow (up to 5 in 2024) will receive funding in the amount of $7,500.
For more information regarding our Law Clerk Programs: Click Here
Internship Opportunities
Citizenship Project Intern
The Citizenship Project at AJSOCAL has developed a comprehensive citizenship program which has helped more than 19,000 individuals with the naturalization process. The Citizenship Project provides weekly citizenship clinics (currently remote) and collaborates with community-based organizations to hold free citizenship workshops to help people determine their eligibility for citizenship, complete the application, and apply for fee waivers when necessary. While the organization assists hundreds of individuals locally each year, it also provides technical assistance to community-based organizations throughout Los Angeles and the rest of the country to support capacity building as they develop their own naturalization assistance programs.
Qualifications: Experience working with immigrants, the naturalization process, or with low-income communities is preferred. Demonstrated commitment to public interest and prior non-profit experience also preferred.
Duties may include, but are not limited to: Assisting applicants with completion of their N-400 Application for Naturalization and Fee Waivers, translation/interpretation requests, preparing applicants for their naturalization Interviews through mock interview practice, and contacting clients to confirm eligibility for naturalization or follow up on their cases upon request from attorneys or DOJ accredited representatives. There may also be some case related administrative assigned duties as needed.
Language requirements: Bilingual fluency in English and an Asian language preferred but not required.
Schedule requirements: We have continued to offer most of our citizenship services remotely through our virtual clinics. However, there are opportunities to assist in-person at the office. The first Thursday of every month, we will be offering in-person citizenship clinics where interns will need to come into the office. We also offer some limited in-person assistance at our office, but these are scheduled on an individual case-by-case basis.
The Citizenship Project at AJSOCAL has developed a comprehensive citizenship program which has helped more than 19,000 individuals with the naturalization process. The Citizenship Project provides weekly citizenship clinics (currently remote) and collaborates with community-based organizations to hold free citizenship workshops to help people determine their eligibility for citizenship, complete the application, and apply for fee waivers when necessary. While the organization assists hundreds of individuals locally each year, it also provides technical assistance to community-based organizations throughout Los Angeles and the rest of the country to support capacity building as they develop their own naturalization assistance programs.
OC Immigration Project Law Intern
Position: Legal Intern
Location: AJSOCAL Office (Remote work options available upon agreement)
Type: Unpaid Internship
Duration: To be agreed upon prior to the commencement of the internship
Hours per Week: To be agreed upon prior to the commencement of the internship
About AJSOCAL: Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is a leading organization dedicated to advocating for civil rights and providing legal services to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved communities. We are committed to advancing justice through litigation, advocacy, and community engagement.
Internship Duties and Responsibilities:
- Client Support: Assist in completing intakes for naturalization and immigration clients, ensuring accurate and timely processing of client information.
- Application Assistance: Help complete N-400 applications and other relevant immigration forms for clients under the supervision of legal staff.
- Interpretation Services: Provide interpretation assistance to attorneys and legal staff during client meetings and consultations.
- Shadowing: Gain valuable experience by shadowing attorneys and legal staff as they handle immigration and naturalization cases.
- Legal Research: Conduct legal research to support attorneys and legal staff in preparing for cases and client consultations.
- Event Coordination: Assist with the coordination and execution of naturalization clinics, ensuring smooth operation and client satisfaction.
- Client Communication: Support attorneys with client communication, including follow-ups and case updates.
- Marketing and Outreach: Create advertising materials for immigration and naturalization events to help raise community awareness.
- Client Materials: Develop and prepare client materials and packets to be distributed during clinic events and consultations.
- Additional Duties: Perform other duties as directed by your supervisor to support the organization’s mission.
Qualifications:
- Strong interest in immigration law and civil rights advocacy.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in a second language is highly desirable (e.g., Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog).
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
How to Apply: Please submit your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest in the internship and any relevant experience to Sabrena Tran (Legal Advocate Coordinator) via [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Additional Information:
- Interns are encouraged to work from the AJSOCAL office, but remote work options are available upon agreement with the supervisor.
- The internship is unpaid, but offers a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in immigration law and advocacy.
Join AJSOCAL and contribute to our mission of advancing justice for Asian Americans and other underserved communities!
Programs Intern
The Programs Intern assists with general programs activities as determined and directed by the Vice President of Programs. Programs interns assist with the daily operations of the organization’s programs. They commonly perform a wide range of tasks, from legal and social science research to administrative tasks to organizing meetings and events. Programs interns may also be given more specialized assignments depending on their interests and skills.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Providing support to various programs members as needed.
- Assist Vice President of Programs in tracking and following up on administrative tasks.
- Performing clerical and/or administrative tasks such as filing, scanning documents into an electronic system, and making copies of documents, etc.
- Conducting research on legal or social science topics. Analyze researched data and create relevant reports.
- Gather information and reports from program units. Prepare compelling presentations based on gathered data.
- Drafting letters and memos to staff members and customers, as directed by supervisor.
- Providing logistical support and event planning.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- High degree of organizational skill and problem-solving ability; specifically, the ability to work as a self-starter – especially as it relates to calling on resources outside the firm.
- Resourcefulness in finding information and answers from within and outside the company without prompting or micromanagement; a “consummate” self-starter.
- Respect for details; ability to execute accurately at a high level without excess supervision.
- Ability to prioritize/execute to achieve desired company and project goals with prudence and sense of urgency.
- Articulate communication skills – verbal, pictorial and numerical.
- Strong telephone etiquette, communication, and organizational skills, and excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong commitment to client confidentiality and data security. Demonstrates excellent judgment when handling sensitive information.
- General computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Schedule Requirements: This is an in-person position. A minimum of 15 hours per week is preferred. This is an unpaid internship. Open to candidates seeking academic credit. Applications are open for Fall and Winter 2024.
Administrative Intern
The Administrative Intern assists with general office, HR, IT, Accounting, Facilities, and Marketing activities as determined and directed by the Senior Administrative Specialist. Administrative interns assist with the day-to-day operations of the organization. They commonly perform a wide range of tasks, from answering phones to filing paperwork to organizing meetings and events. Administrative interns may also be given more specialized assignments depending on their interests and skills.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Answer main line to direct callers to appropriate parties, answer questions and resolve issues.
- Providing support to staff members in other departments as needed
- Assist Sr. Admin Specialist in tracking and following up on purchase orders.
- Performing clerical tasks such as filing, scanning documents into an electronic system, and making copies of documents
- Conducting research on potential clients or industries for which the company provides services.
- Preparing presentations for internal meetings on topics such as company goals, current projects, or industry trends
- Drafting letters and memos to staff members and customers, as directed by supervisor.
- Helping with marketing efforts by creating flyers and brochures promoting new products or services offered by the company.
Qualifications:
- High degree of organizational skill and problem-solving ability; specifically, the ability to work as a self-starter – especially as it relates to calling on resources outside the firm.
- Resourcefulness in finding information and answers from within and outside the company without prompting or micromanagement; a “consummate” self-starter.
- Respect for details; ability to execute accurately at a high level without excess supervision.
- Ability to prioritize/execute to achieve desired company and project goals with prudence and sense of urgency.
- Articulate communication skills – verbal, pictorial and numerical.
- Strong telephone etiquette, communication, and organizational skills, as well as excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- General computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Schedule Requirements: This is an in-person position. A minimum of 15 hours per week is preferred. This is an unpaid internship. Open to candidates seeking academic credit. Applications are open for Fall and Winter 2024.
Communications Intern
Support AJSOCAL’s Communications team by creating digital content and campaigns to inspire engagement from young advocates. Create and execute a digital campaign to strengthen the organization’s reach with an emphasis on the 18-25 age group in Southern California. Support creation of historical timeline and a bank of diverse Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California client stories. Support with communications needs for our 2023 fundraising gala.
Qualifications: Authentic appreciation and/or knowledge of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander issues. Skills with social media, text campaigns and website management. Proficiency in digital analysis. Excellent writing skills. Comfort with business culture and protocol. High school degree required.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Assist with creation of historical timeline of Asian American and organization history
- Produce and collect content for inspirational diverse client stories
- Identify API student groups and execute digital campaign to strengthen organization reach to young advocates (Ages 18-25)
- Create, document and execute an integrated plan to boost social media followers on all Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’s channels
- Assist in the creation of digital content. (IG Reels, TikTok, social media graphics, blog posts)
- Increase website traffic and expand email subscriber list
- Identify and contact appropriate partners and influencers to establish relationships
- Support 2024 Fundraising Gala
- Limited administrative duties as required
Schedule Requirements: This is a hybrid position. A minimum of 15 hours per week is preferred. For Fall, the internship will preferably run from September 2023 through November or December 2023. Open to candidates seeking academic credit. This is an unpaid internship. Applications are open for Fall and Winter 2024.
Communications Social Media Intern
Support AJSOCAL’s Communications team by capturing and creating content for our social media platforms, print materials, and website. Support creation of historical timeline and a bank of diverse Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California client stories. Support with communications needs for our 2024 fundraising gala.
Qualifications: Authentic appreciation and/or knowledge of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander issues. Skills with social media, text campaigns, and website management. Proficiency in digital analysis. Excellent writing skills. Comfort with business culture and protocol. High school degree required.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Assist in capturing communications assets such as picture and video
- Can create digital content when needed: IG Reels/TikTok, social media graphics, blog posts, and printed materials
- Can create optimized versions of digital content for different platforms/uses (e.g. Turning a social media graphic into a flyer)
- Have working knowledge of automated publishing platforms such as Hootsuite
- Assist with creation of historical posts of Asian American and organizational history
- Identify API student groups and execute digital campaigns to strengthen organization reach to young advocates (Ages 18-25)
- Support 2024 Fundraising Gala
- Limited administrative duties as required
Schedule Requirements: This is a hybrid position. A minimum of 15 hours per week is preferred. Open to candidates seeking academic credit. This is an unpaid internship. Applications are open for Fall and Winter 2024.
Communications Film and Production Intern
Support AJSOCAL’s Communications team by capturing and creating video content for our social media platforms and website. Put your creative skills to work as you work in multiple areas of the production process. You will exercise your multitasking abilities as you assist in developing ideas, filming pieces, and editing takes.
Qualifications: Authentic appreciation and/or knowledge of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander issues. Have a strong passion for creative storytelling. Experience with script writing, filming, and editing. Proficient in Canva, Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, or any video editing software. High school degree required.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Assist in capturing communications video and photo assets to create digital content when needed for IG Reels/TikTok/Youtube.
- Research topics for video content using a variety of sources, including video archives, the internet, etc. as needed.
- Produce and edit video content that adhere to company guidelines and standards to share on online channels, including social media, YouTube, and our website.
- Provide assistance as needed in all components of the production, including sound, lighting, camera, editing and postproduction.
- Perform other duties as requested by Communications team to ensure all necessary tasks are performed in a proficient manner.
- Identify API student groups and execute digital campaigns to strengthen organization reach to young advocates (Ages 18-25).
- Support 2024 Fundraising Gala.
- Limited administrative duties as required.
Schedule Requirements: This is a hybrid position. A minimum of 15 hours per week is preferred. Open to candidates seeking academic credit. This is an unpaid internship. Applications are open for Fall and Winter 2024.