New Pro Bono Program Emerges Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Following COVID-19 related shelter in place mandates, the San Diego Superior Court completely closed for all civil matters, resulting in a backlog of over 8,000 missed hearings and dozens of trials.

To mitigate this problem, which could strain the system for some time to come,  a task force of San Diego lawyers joined forces to form RESOLVE Law San Diego  –  a pro bono program providing local attorneys a venue for dispute resolution outside of the constrained court system. Poised to be the largest pro bono legal program in San Diego history, RESOLVE Law  also includes  the use of existing ADR providers as well as the current Court Mediation program.

The program gives  litigants the opportunity to connect with a retired judge or a qualified local attorney  to hear matters free of charge. RESOLVE Law San Diego is not a court sponsored program, it is both voluntary and by stipulation of the parties only. The program  is designed to streamline the law and motion and mediation process so that cases can move forward while the court reopens and manages its caseload.

Read the full story here (source the ABA Journal)