Appendix
Northern Division
Consumer Debt Clinic
Serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, a Consumer Debt Clinic was formed and began operation in 2009 in Lompoc before moving to the Northern Division in 2010. The clinic is operated by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County (LAFSBC) on Friday mornings between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a Spanish language clinic held the first Friday of every month. The clinic provides legal advice regarding consumer debt and bankruptcy matters. In 2014, the clinic was served by seven volunteers assisting 230 visitors, including between 5-14 people each day, with approximately 85 percent having chapter 7 questions. Depending on prior experience, training for new volunteers consists of on-site training, where new volunteers “shadow” current volunteers until they are comfortable being at the clinic on their own and knowledgeable to handle the debt- and bankruptcy-related questions.
The Northern Division’s Clerk’s Office also hosts a Resource Center in its first floor lobby. The Resource Center is staffed by a Court clerk during clinic hours and provides forms and filing information. The Center also maintains a set of bankruptcy resource materials that clinic attendees may check out.
Reaffirmation Agreement Clinic
Since the Fall of 2000, reaffirmation assistance has been provided at the Northern Division in Santa Barbara to counsel debtors on their rights prior to reaffirming debt owed for property, such as an automobile. Instead of an organized clinic, the Santa Barbara County Bar Association arranges for volunteer attorneys to coordinate with chambers and meet with self-represented debtors before each reaffirmation agreement hearing.