Thank you for your interest in the JusticeCorps Graduate Fellowship! JusticeCorps is administered by California Volunteers and is a proud member of the AmeriCorps National Service Network.

This application is intended for all graduates who possess or will possess at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university by August 2026. Applicants do not need to have attended one of our partner schools to be eligible. Applicants are able to apply to all three regions.

Application Deadline: Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST

If you will be an enrolled student for the 2026-2027 school year, please select the appropriate Legal Access Intern (300-hour AmeriCorps Member) program for your region. Legal Access Interns are recruited from JusticeCorps partner schools. 

Los Angeles Legal Access Intern Application
Bay Area Legal Access Intern Application
San Diego Legal Access Intern Application

If you are interested in serving in the summer, please consider applying as a Los Angeles Summer Legal Access Intern. Los Angeles Summer Members complete 300 AmeriCorps hours by serving full-time over an 8-10 week period from June to August and are not required to be enrolled at a partner campus. Click here for the LA Summer Legal Access Intern Application. 

Eligibility

The following are required of all JusticeCorps Fellows:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year university by August 2026
• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency
• Livescan and security background check clearance
• Overall 2.50 GPA in all undergraduate coursework
• Be at least 17 years old
• Commitment to the entire program year and full participation, including completion of 1700 hours of service
• Consistent service schedule (cannot be absent from assigned service location for more than 30 calendar days at any time throughout the program year)
• Attendance at all mandatory weekend and site-based trainings
• Participation in one national day of service project
• Have served no more than 3 terms in another AmeriCorps, NCCC or VISTA program

Position Description

JusticeCorps members will be trained to provide legal information to self–represented litigants to assist them with resolving important legal matters. JusticeCorps members assist litigants by helping them prepare court paperwork, by making referrals, or through assistance at legal information workshops. Members will receive training in a variety of areas to support and enhance the member’s service to the public as well as training that will support the members’ individual development.

JusticeCorps Graduate Fellows are required to complete 1700 hours of service over the full program year. Fellows will begin service in mid-to-late August 2026 and will serve a 12-month term.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated desire to serve the local community
• Relevant experience in service projects 
• Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving ability
• Ability to apply information learned in training sessions
• Possession of strong verbal communication skills
• Organizational skills and ability to follow through with assigned tasks
• Ability to interact professionally with a broad range of individuals including litigants, peers, court staff, supervisors, and bench officers
• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced and stressful environment
• Ability to work well as part of a team
• Overall application strength
• Foreign language proficiency (desired, not required)
• Ability to be flexible
• Successful completion of an AmeriCorps term of service (including JusticeCorps) or equivalent service or work experience
  
  

Fluency in another language is not a requirement. If you select "Other", please also indicate language and proficiency level.

Intermediate proficiency in a given language is defined as being somewhat comfortable assisting a litigant in that language. Advanced proficiency is defined as being very comfortable assisting a litigant in that language. Intermediate and Advanced proficiency do NOT require that an applicant is comfortable with technical and legal terms in a given language. If you indicated "intermediate proficiency" or above, the program will expect you to communicate with litigants in that language. Applicants who select "intermediate" or "advanced" may be asked to speak with the court's bilingual staff to confirm your level of proficiency before you begin serving litigants with limited English proficiency.

If you would be uncomfortable assisting a litigant in a second language or consider yourself a "Beginner" please select "No Second Language".

Los Angeles Region Placement Site Choices

You will be required to perform 40 hours of service per week for up to 12 months. You must provide this service during operating business hours (generally 8:00 am-4:30 pm Monday through Friday).

For your reference, you will find a list of possible JusticeCorps service sites below. Please indicate your top three site preferences. Only select sites to which you would be willing and able to commute daily.

Candidates will be selected to move on to the interview stage based on the strength of their application when compared to those of other applicants who choose the same placement preference.

• ANTELOPE VALLEY/LANCASTER (2 Fellows) Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse (42011 4th Street West, Lancaster)
• CHATSWORTH (2 Fellows) Chatsworth Courthouse (9425 Penfield Ave., Chatsworth)
• COMPTON (3 Fellows) Compton Courthouse (200 West Compton Blvd., Compton)
• LOS ANGELES CENTRAL DISTRICT (10 Fellows) Stanley Mosk Courthouse (111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles)
• LONG BEACH  (2 Fellows) George Deukmejian Courthouse (275 Magnolia Ave., Long Beach)
• PASADENA (2 Fellows) Pasadena Courthouse (300 E. Walnut St., Pasadena)
• POMONA (2 Fellows) Pomona Courthouse (400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona)
• TORRANCE (2 Fellows) Torrance Courthouse (825 Maple Ave., Torrance)
• VAN NUYS (3 Fellows) Van Nuys Courthouse East (6230 Sylmar Ave., Van Nuys)
• WHITTIER (4 Fellows)  Whittier Courthouse (7339 Painter Ave., Whittier)
  
  

Bay Area Region Placement Site Choices

JusticeCorps provides an intensive service experience. You will be required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of service per week for up to 12 months. You must provide this service during operating business hours (generally 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday).

Fellows are expected to serve entirely in-person in Alameda and San Mateo Counties. San Francisco fellows currently serve Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in-person and Wednesdays and Fridays remotely.

For your reference, below you will find a list of possible JusticeCorps service sites. Please indicate a minimum of two site preferences below. Please only select sites to which you would be willing and able to commute daily.

Candidates will be selected to move on based on the strength of their application when compared to those of other applicants who choose the same placement preference.

For more information about the service models and case types of each placement site please visit the "where we serve" page in the "about" section of our website.

• ALAMEDA COUNTY (4 Fellows) Hayward Hall of Justice (24405 Amador St. Hayward)

• SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY (2 Fellows) San Francisco Civic Center Courthouse (400 McAllister St., San Francisco)

• SAN MATEO COUNTY (1 Fellow) Southern Branch: Hall of Justice (400 County Center, Redwood City)

  
  
  

San Diego Region Placement Site Choices

JusticeCorps provides an intensive service experience. You will be required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of service per week for up to 12 months. You must provide this service during operating business hours (generally 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday).

For your reference, you will find a list of possible JusticeCorps service sites below. Please indicate your site preference. Only select sites to which you would be willing and able to commute daily.

Candidates will be selected to move on to the interview stage based on the strength of their application when compared to those of other applicants who choose the same placement preference.

PLEASE NOTE: Self-Help Centers provide legal assistance in several areas of law which may include Small Claims, Housing Law, as well as Restraining Orders. Family Law Self-Help Centers offer family law assistance including help with divorce, child custody and visitation, as well as child and spousal support. 

• CIVIL/SMALL CLAIMS BUSINESS OFFICE (1 Fellow) Hall of Justice (330 West Broadway, San Diego)

• FAMILY LAW FACILITATOR'S OFFICE (1 Fellow) Central Courthouse (1100 Union St., San Diego)

• FAMILY LAW FACILITATOR'S OFFICE (1 Fellow) North Courthouse (325 South Melrose Dr., Vista)
  
  

Additional Information

JusticeCorps will provide each Member with two blue-colored, long sleeve, button-up uniform shirts․ Please indicate your shirt size based on the two size charts (male or female) shown below․ Please note that they run on the smaller side. 

Please attach a copy of one of the following residency/citizenship documents:

• United States Passport or Passport Card
• Certificate of Naturalization (Form N -550 or N-570)
• Certificate of Citizenship (Form N -560 or N-561)
• Permanent Resident Card, INS (Form I -551)
• Alien Registration Receipt Card, INS (Form 1 -551)
• Report of Birth Abroad of a US Citizen (FS -240)
• Certificate of Birth-Foreign Service (FS-545)
• Certificate of Report of Birth (DS1350) - no Abstracts of Birth
• Departure Record (INS form I94) indicating that the INS has approved it as temporary evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence

* Please note that you must submit one document containing your photo. If your residency/citizenship document does not include a photo, please also upload a driver license below.

If you are a United States citizen and do not have one of the above documents: please attach a copy of both your driver’s license (or government issued photo ID) and your Birth Certificate showing that you were born in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Marina Islands.

PLEASE NOTE: Birth Certificates issued by counties/hospitals are not acceptable - AmeriCorps requires state-issued certificates.

If you do not have any of these documents available for upload at this time or you would prefer to deliver them in person you may do so. You may submit your application now without providing eligibility documentation. However, if you are selected to interview, you will be asked to provide the documents listed above in order to verify your residency status (as required by AmeriCorps). Failure to provide this documentation will make you ineligible to participate in JusticeCorps.

My signature below attests that all statements made in this application are truthful and confirm my understanding that any misrepresentations or false statements made in this application may result in not being considered for service, and that if not discovered by JusticeCorps until after acceptance, such misrepresentation could be grounds for immediate termination.

Due to changes in the court budget and an unpredictable fiscal situation court sites may change. All placements are subject to continued AmeriCorps and court funding.

If you are selected for service as a JusticeCorps member, you will be required to complete AmeriCorps’ National Service Criminal History Checks (NSCHC).
The NSCHC is a screening procedure established by law to protect the beneficiaries of national service. NSCHCs have three components:

1. A nationwide name-based check of the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). The NSOPW is a centralized system that identifies people who are registered as sex offenders in states, territories, and with many federally recognized Tribes.
2. A name-or fingerprint-based search of the statewide criminal history registry in the candidate’s state of residence and in the state where the person will serve or work, and
3. A fingerprint-based FBI check

All AmeriCorps members must complete the NSCHC to be fully eligible to serve. JusticeCorps members are also required to complete a separate LiveScan background check for clearance at the court-based site at which they are serving.

Per Federal AmeriCorps regulations, anyone who refuses to consent to the NSCHC is ineligible to serve as an AmeriCorps member.

Applicants that do not consent to the NSCHC are ineligible to serve as JusticeCorps members.