Looking for a pro bono lawyers

[JMATHIS]

Anybody have any recommendations for any lawyers looking for pro bono work trying to get help with the CCW application denial

 

[ikeo1]

I don't know if it's probono, but check with @kmoros He was looking for someone who applied recently. Considering you just joined for this particular question, I'm sure it will likely depend on the reason for the denial.

 

[westsidearms]

Anybody have any recommendations for any lawyers looking for pro bono work trying to get help with the CCW application denial

I am not sure I would give away my services to a person who simply was denied on their CCW. However, I know there are plenty of people here that are not lawyers and can probably help you with denial reasons. Then if you need to get something expunged from your record/petition to get your rights back, then we can start asking for who the cheapest lawyer might be for that.

 

[Jon F]

Sorry bud, lawyers who are good, work for money unless they work for a foundation that funds them like CPRA and FPC.

 

[M_N04H]

Wise man once said, "if you're good at something, never do it for free."

 

[Michael the Beloved]

It’s going to be hard to find a pro bono lawyer in this area because it is a new area of the law. SB-2 went into effect in 2024…so there is no established caselaw to guide lawyers on how to successfully litigate these denials. SB-2 laid out a process to file an appeal at the County level, and how the County DA represents the local county Sheriff or City Police Chief. The DA has the burden of proof, at the hearing, to justify the denial. This is important because in the law, whoever has the burden of proof, has the uphill battle to convince the Judge. If the DA has not met their burden of proof, the denial is reversed, and the CCW application can proceed.

It will be important to note why was your application denied?

This is the only lawyer, I know, who has posted three victories, overturning a denial.

Read the reasons for the initial denial, and how his strategy at the hearing, convinced each Judge, to rule that the local DA, was unable to meet their burden of proof, to justify the denial.

San Mateo County CCW Denial Overturned!

This week, we won a CCW Application Appeal in San Mateo County! Senate Bill 2 modified the statutory scheme for CCW applications, effective January 1, 2024. SB2 is the California legislature’s response to the Bruen decision by the United States Supreme court. One part of the new statutory scheme...

www.donhammondlaw.com

Orange County CCW Application Appeal Win!

CCW application appeal win in Orange County. This was the first CCW application denial appeal in Orange County, and we won!

www.donhammondlaw.com

CCW Application Appeal Win!

CCW application appeal win in Los Angeles County. This was the first CCW application denial appeal in L.A. County, and we won!

www.donhammondlaw.com

These three cases give you an idea on what basis the local police agency denied the applications, the process the lawyer had to go through to contest it at a hearing, and why the client won.

This doesn’t mean their CCW applications were granted, it just means their applications can now proceed for further review by the licensing entity.

 

[Malibu]

These three cases give you an idea on what basis the local police agency denied the applications, the process the lawyer had to go through to contest it at a hearing, and why the client won.

This doesn’t mean their CCW applications were granted, it just means their applications can now proceed for further review by the licensing entity.

After reading the referenced articles (written by counsel for the plaintiffs) a common theme I see is that applicants all had some type of negative social interaction with either a domestic partner of sorts, or a neighbor that resulted in an argument in public. All were within the preceding twenty years or less. It would be interesting to see if their requests for licenses were eventually granted, and if so, how do applicants for CCW licenses compare with applicants for sworn law enforcement positions with similar background issues…
IMO this again underscores the importance of how domestic issues, TRO’s, red flags, any conflicts with others, etc. all can be hugely bad for applicants. Avoiding any such issues is paramount.

 

[USMC06RET]

After reading the referenced articles (written by counsel for the plaintiffs) a common theme I see is that applicants all had some type of negative social interaction with either a domestic partner of sorts, or a neighbor that resulted in an argument in public. All were within the preceding twenty years or less. It would be interesting to see if their requests for licenses were eventually granted, and if so, how do applicants for CCW licenses compare with applicants for sworn law enforcement positions with similar background issues…
IMO this again underscores the importance of how domestic issues, TRO’s, red flags, any conflicts with others, etc. all can be hugely bad for applicants. Avoiding any such issues is paramount.

My big issue with this would be basing the issuance of such a permit on accusations rather than convictions. Some crazy girl you're dating could make a wild accusation to the police and even get a TRO against you (like that never happens) and even if you go to court and are acquitted (or even if there are no charges) this would count against you when it comes to exercising your rights under the Second Amendment. I could see this type of case making its way all the way to SCOTUS. It might have already, I will have to dig into Westlaw and some other legal resources and research this further.

 

[raellic]

There are zero lawyers who will handle a CCW denial pro bono. If it is a highly polarizing reason for the denial *and* has a chance for massive publicity because of a discriminatory action that would make headlines, that would be the only opportunity for a reduced fee. The only area I can think of would be a mental health issue, and I don't think the applicant would want to publicize such an issue. My best advice to you is to save up some money and hire a lawyer when you can afford it. Or you could crowdsource your issue on here and see whether anyone will help, including myself.

 

[USMC06RET]

There are zero lawyers who will handle a CCW denial pro bono. If it is a highly polarizing reason for the denial *and* has a chance for massive publicity because of a discriminatory action that would make headlines, that would be the only opportunity for a reduced fee. The only area I can think of would be a mental health issue, and I don't think the applicant would want to publicize such an issue. My best advice to you is to save up some money and hire a lawyer when you can afford it. Or you could crowdsource your issue on here and see whether anyone will help, including myself.

I agree with this completely. I would also add that if I had received such a request my first thought would have been, if you can afford the weapon then you can afford to pay me something. Now, if you needed a CCW because you are involved with some kind of a public facing 501(c) organization and are providing security (such as a fledgling church, drug rehab, etc.) I might take a second look.

 

[Michael the Beloved]

There are zero lawyers who will handle a CCW denial pro bono. If it is a highly polarizing reason for the denial *and* has a chance for massive publicity because of a discriminatory action that would make headlines, that would be the only opportunity for a reduced fee. The only area I can think of would be a mental health issue, and I don't think the applicant would want to publicize such an issue. My best advice to you is to save up some money and hire a lawyer when you can afford it. Or you could crowdsource your issue on here and see whether anyone will help, including myself.

A polarizing reason would be a great reason why CRPA would wanna get involved.

I can understand wanting to keep mental health issues private and I’ve seen dozens of firearm restoration right hearings, present evidence that the reason for the 5150 was bogus. By comparison, It foretold how red flag laws were to be abused by family members, and soon to be ex-lovers/ex-spouses (seeking ancillary tactical advantage in divorce proceedings)…to over exaggerate someone’s current mental health condition.

I’ve seen disputes amongst family members over property inheritance, and spouses seeking tactical advantages before instigating divorce proceedings, as means to which the police were hoodwinked to hospitalize someone based on alleged mental health issues. Within hours, a Psychiatrist at the hospital, then released the patient after realizing how the system got suckered. I’ve seen helicopter parents overstate the suicidality of their kids, or folks who were going through a break up of a relationship or marriage, or a very rough patch in their life due to the loss of a job or loss of a family member/loved one… and generally had feelings of sadness… but not to the point of wanting to kill themselves.

Still, the police took the cautious approach and took someone in, along with taking their guns away too. This is why I oppose red flag laws, because by analogy, mental hospitalizations are used to take away your rights, you’re given a piece of paper that your rights are taken away (without any judicial hearing), and then told if you want your rights back, you have to sue to get them back…guilty until proven innocent.

The worst part was, when a gun owner thought their rights were stored in the state court, but the judge rubs it in that whatever victory they have, they must still deal with whether their federal gun rights have also been restored. In other words when the state 5150’ed you, you lost both your state and federal gun rights

 

[raellic]

I'm intending to do a write-up in this area at some point. There are important Federal cases that interpret issues with Form 4473 and what qualifies as a mental health "adjudication" or "commitment." If you get 5150'ed on grave disability, for example, rather than danger to self or others, and are released before a hearing, there is no prohibition at all. I have to dig out the citations.

 

[H. Bowman]

I agree with this completely. I would also add that if I had received such a request my first thought would have been, if you can afford the weapon then you can afford to pay me something. Now, if you needed a CCW because you are involved with some kind of a public facing 501(c) organization and are providing security (such as a fledgling church, drug rehab, etc.) I might take a second look.

A used Ruger costs less than 2 hours with an attorney.

 

[USMC06RET]

A used Ruger costs less than 2 hours with an attorney.

Probably costs less than one hour. However, it does indicate the person has discretionary income.

 

[raellic]

I'm ultimately a knowledge worker. That is, I'm selling my knowledge and experience to present the client's case to the judicial system. I was planning to do a write-up about law firm economics at some point so that people see that the sticker price hourly rate is a multiplier of what a lawyer actually takes home. With the costs of the office lease, staff wages, contract labor, and other overhead, I'm probably looking at netting 20% of my gross. For someone 19 years in, that isn't a large amount of money considering what I could earn as a partner-level attorney in someone else's law firm. It's basically the same as what I would earn as a senior staff attorney at a large law firm, except that I have full control of the working environment, plus a curated selection of awesome people to work with. I wouldn't trade that for anything at this point. But that does mean that I cannot take non-paying cases, especially when the person should be paying. What I could do is an A.I.-assisted CCW appeal system. You fill out a few online forms and get beautiful PDFs that I review but that you can file with the court yourself. Would that work for anyone? Cost would be a lot less than custom/made to order handling.

 

[USMC06RET]

I'm ultimately a knowledge worker. That is, I'm selling my knowledge and experience to present the client's case to the judicial system. I was planning to do a write-up about law firm economics at some point so that people see that the sticker price hourly rate is a multiplier of what a lawyer actually takes home. With the costs of the office lease, staff wages, contract labor, and other overhead, I'm probably looking at netting 20% of my gross. For someone 19 years in, that isn't a large amount of money considering what I could earn as a partner-level attorney in someone else's law firm. It's basically the same as what I would earn as a senior staff attorney at a large law firm, except that I have full control of the working environment, plus a curated selection of awesome people to work with. I wouldn't trade that for anything at this point. But that does mean that I cannot take non-paying cases, especially when the person should be paying. What I could do is an A.I.-assisted CCW appeal system. You fill out a few online forms and get beautiful PDFs that I review but that you can file with the court yourself. Would that work for anyone? Cost would be a lot less than custom/made to order handling.

There is no reason you or any other service provider should have to justify their rates. You charge what the market will bear and if you aren't getting any paying clients then you lower your rates. This is what everyone else in every other walk of life in the USA does. Doesn't matter if you work for other people or if you have your own business. Capitalism 101.

I hate the price of lots of things and services and I shop around. Same concept applies to legal services, shop around and negotiate. Never be afraid of offering someone less than they are asking, worst thing that happens is they say "no". If they get insulted, you really don't want to do business with them anyhow because they are an .

 

[GeeQ87]

As stated above, attorney won’t work for free unless there is a chance at setting precedent. My wife works doing record review for a number of attorneys who practice civil law. There is so much money that goes into a case, it would be irrational to expect free work.

@raellic i appreciate you coming on and gifting us some knowledge. I myself was denied a CCW by LASD due to “criminal background.” Nothing violent, just dumb. Putting pennies aside to eventually get it figured out.