How the Legal Community Created the Largest Pro Bono Program in San Diego History About a month into the COVID-19 Pandemic, a group of local attorneys joined
together as part of a court-appointed Civil Working Group to identify solutions to the unprecedented backlog of cases facing the courts and came up with the idea for Resolve Law San Diego (RLSD). RLSD offers litigants the opportunity to connect with a retired judge or a qualified local attorney to hear discovery issues, law and motion matters, or participate in mediation all free of charge. While not a court-sponsored initiative, it provides any consenting parties in litigation or prelitigation the ability to have their matters heard quickly and avoid adding to the workload of the courts. “The idea is, if two parties have a dispute, they can use our program for discovery disputes or law and motion matters,” said RESOLVE Law San Diego Chair, Amy R. Martel. “We’re trying to make it as easy as possible to help our colleagues that need cases pushed through.”
A Vision Becomes A Reality In early May, Gayle Blatt, President of the San Diego County Bar Foundation (SDCBF) heard about the vision for RLSD and quickly identified the need for SDCBF to lend its support. The RLSD mission aligned perfectly with SDCBF’s primary goal to provide access to justice. Upon learning about the positive impacts RLSD would have on the San Diego court system, a partnership was formed. “This groundbreaking pro bono program fits squarely with our mission and assists the community in obtaining access to justice,” said Gayle Blatt, President of the SDCBF. “The San Diego County Bar Foundation is proud to work with the dedicated Resolve Law committee and the hundreds of San Diego lawyers and retired judges who are volunteering their time to assist litigants during these very challenging times.” In less than three weeks, the SDCBF staff and Board worked with the leadership team of RLSD to create the RLSD website (www.resolvelawsandiego.com), including the supporting technologies, and documents required to get this ambitious program off the ground.
Within days, over 200 local attorneys and retired judges volunteered to address pending cases through mediation, handle law and motion, and discovery disputes in civil, family and probate matters.
Moving Forward To date, over 270 neutrals have volunteered to hear legal matters free of charge, and 60 cases have been heard. While RLSD was originally intended to last for 120 days it has now been extended through the end of 2020 to continue providing this important service to our community. Its early success has garnered the attention of legal communities across the country as other attorneys work to create their own program based on RLSD’s vision. RLSD is possible due to the efforts of its founding committee members, the SDCBF, and most importantly the San Diego legal community members who have volunteered their time to this program. For more information about RLSD and how you can get involved, or to use the program on any qualifying case, visit www.resolvelawsandiego.com. By funding important nonprofit organizations and supporting programs such as RLSD, the San Diego County Bar Foundation is working to make lasting change throughout the San Diego region. For more information about SDCBF, or to make a donation to support programs like this one, visit www.sdcbf.org/donate. Committee members: • Amy Martel (Chair), Chihak & Martel • David Casey, Jr. , Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield • Heather Rosing, Klinedinst PC • Benjamin Bunn, Bunn Law Group • William Low, Higgs Fletcher and Mack • Alan Brubaker, Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie • Deborah Dixon, Dixon Diab & Chambers
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N. Ben Cramer, Carroll Kelly Trotter & Franzen John Gomez, Gomez Trial Attorneys Ana M. Sambold, Sambold Law & ADR Services Janice Brown, Brown Law Group Jenna E. Hackett, Feuerstein Murphy & Beals Patricia A, Coyne, Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP Shannon N. Montisano, Hughes & Pizzuto Sean Ponist, Ponist Law Group
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