Stanford Law School Students Ride “Justice Bus” to Provide Legal Services to Veterans

Just call it mobile justice.

Six Stanford Law School students recently hit the road in an effort to deliver legal services to veterans in San Joaquin County.

Stanford Law School Students Ride “Justice Bus” to Provide Legal Services to Veterans
Photo courtesy of OneJustice

Desley Horton, LLM ’15, Jeffrey Lash, JD ’16, Ju-Ching Huang, LLM ’15, Amy Tannenbaum, JD ’17, Carl Hudson JD ’17, and Viveca Fallenius, LLM ’15, traveled to Stockton, California on May 9, where they met with 20 veterans who needed help with expunging their criminal records.

The trip was part of OneJustice’s Justice Bus Project; which takes teams of attorney and law student volunteers to underserved rural areas where they set-up free clinics offering legal assistance to underserved Californians. It was done in partnership with the San Joaquin County Bar Association, San Joaquin County Public Defender’s office, and Rubicon.

“It’s a great opportunity to help people with criminal records who want to change their life and get a job,” said Fallenius. “The more I get involved the more I realize what an enormous need there is for pro bono work.”

It was one of five “JusticeBus” trips taken this year by SLS students, who have helped clients on matters ranging from workers’ rights, immigration, expungements of criminal records, and tax issues.

Stanford Law School Students Ride “Justice Bus” to Provide Legal Services to Veterans 1
Photo courtesy of OneJustice

The Justice Bus Project is one of 20-plus pro bono programs offered at SLS with its origins at the school dating back to 2009.

“Students consistently report that working on pro bono projects such as the JusticeBus trips provide some of the most meaningful experiences of their time in law school,” said Jory Steele, director of Pro Bono and Externship Programs at the Levin Center. “There is nothing like the feeling of helping someone who truly benefits from your efforts.  It is my hope that through working on projects such as this that students will develop a life-long passion and commitment to doing pro bono work throughout their professional careers.”

Click here to learn more about SLS’s pro bono program.