Student Volunteer (Fall 2026 or Spring 2027)

California Appellate Project (CAP) is a non-profit organization created by the State Bar of California in 1983. The mission of our San Francisco office is to help ensure that individuals facing the death penalty receive the legal representation they are constitutionally entitled to receive. CAP’s dedicated team of staff attorneys and support personnel work closely with court-appointed private counsel, offering guidance and resources for handling capital cases before the California Supreme Court. For law students interested in appellate advocacy, criminal justice, or public interest law, CAP represents a vital part of California’s legal landscape—and a meaningful opportunity to see how legal support can make a real difference.

What do we do?

• Assist appointed counsel on post-conviction death penalty cases in both habeas corpus and appellate proceedings;
• Provide case assistance to unrepresented people on death row;
• Track judicial and legislative developments affecting death penalty litigation;
• Conduct death penalty defense training seminars for capital defense professionals and law students;
• Publish numerous documents including a monthly newsletter, RECAP; a death penalty manual for California attorneys; the National Death Penalty Information Index; an extensive brief bank; and other resources for the capital defense community.

Why apply to volunteer at California Appellate Project?

Our San Francisco office is dedicated to developing the next generation of criminal defense attorneys. Under the guidance of experienced counsel, our law school externs, interns, and pro bono attorneys contribute to a wide range of essential work, including mitigation investigation, records collection, case review under ameliorative statutes, legal research and writing, technical assistance to counsel appointed in automatic appeals and habeas corpus matters, and support for individuals on death row who are currently unrepresented.

During the academic year, students may apply to serve as externs in CAP’s San Francisco office. We welcome candidates who can participate through academic credit, volunteer hours, or funding from public interest programs. Selection for fellows, externs, and volunteers occurs on a rolling basis.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, writing sample, and two references. We also ask volunteers to describe how their life experience, training, and work history have prepared them to work effectively with our clients and the communities we serve.