Events
 Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions 101 – Overview of Basic Concepts MCLE event (Part 1)
Virtual MCLE event: Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
1 hour California MCLE credit
No-cost, free event
Program Description
This one-hour seminar will go over the fundamentals of immigration consequences of criminal convictions. This includes an overview of what types of consequences are triggered by criminal convictions, what types of consequences are triggered by other contact with the criminal legal system, what constitutes a “conviction” for immigration purposes, what information is needed to do a competent immigration consequences analysis, and the duties of California defense attorneys as far as investigating and advising on immigration matters. The seminar will provide a basic overview of the criminals ground of inadmissibility as well as the criminal grounds of deportability and explain how advocates can determine which grounds may apply, and familiarize attendees with “crim/imm” terms such as “aggravated felony,” and “crime involving moral turpitude.”
About the Speaker
Raha Jorjani is a detention and deportation defense attorney and runs the Immigration Representation Unit of the Office of the Alameda County Public Defender. From 2007 until 2014, Raha served as a Clinical Professor at the UC Davis School of Law in the immigration law clinic. In 2015, she taught the first course offered at the UC Berkeley School of Law dedicated to “Crimmigration.” Since 2005, Raha has provided pro bono representation and legal assistance to hundreds of immigrants – detained and non-detained - before the Immigration Courts, BIA, U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, and California state courts.
Register via Humanitix
Flyer available here
 Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions – Advanced Session MCLE Event (Part 2)
Virtual MCLE event: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
1 hour California MCLE credit
No-cost, free event
Program Description
This one-hour seminar assumes that attendees have a basic familiarity with the crim/imm concepts (ie: what is an aggravated felony) and dives into more advanced topics. We will review strategies that CA defense attorneys can use to avoid or mitigate the most severe immigration consequences. The seminar will also provide a brief update of new California and Federal laws impacting immigrants – such as Prop. 36 and the Laken Riley Act. Finally, the seminar will provide an overview of legal vehicles for post-conviction litigation in California that can mitigate or eliminate immigration consequences faced as a result of prior convictions.
About the Speaker
Raha Jorjani is a detention and deportation defense attorney and runs the Immigration Representation Unit of the Office of the Alameda County Public Defender. From 2007 until 2014, Raha served as a Clinical Professor at the UC Davis School of Law in the immigration law clinic. In 2015, she taught the first course offered at the UC Berkeley School of Law dedicated to “Crimmigration.” Since 2005, Raha has provided pro bono representation and legal assistance to hundreds of immigrants – detained and non-detained - before the Immigration Courts, BIA, U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, and California state courts.
Register via Humanitix
Flyer available here
 Monthly Lawyer Debt and Bankruptcy Clinic -- April 18, 2025
Legal Access Alameda and the Alameda County Law Library are collaborating to provide an Ask a Lawyer Debt and Bankruptcy Clinic. The clinic provides free 20-minute appointments to consult with an attorney in-person or over Zoom to discuss debt and bankruptcy issues.
The next clinic date will be on Friday, April 18, 2025. Appointments can be made at https://alamedacountylawlibrary.as.me/ or by calling the library Reference Desk at (510) 208-4832.
Flyer available here
 Court Accounting Workshops in 2025
The Contra Costa County Public Law Library is offering a series of free Court Accounting Workshops throughout the year via Zoom to provide hands-on training and assistance with court-required accounting reports and conservatorship accounting. Workshop attendees MUST sign-up in advance. Sign-ups end two (2) days before the scheduled class. Please call the Contra Costa County Public Law Library at (925) 655-4627 to sign-up and obtain additional information or email: reference.questionsCCCPLLIB@gmail.com. See the flyer for more details.
Flyer available here
 Toolbox Tuesday: Finding California Supreme Court Briefs
Patrons at the law library ask for briefs quite regularly, and for the most part, they can find California briefs on Westlaw or Lexis. But what if you need to find a California Supreme Court brief and can’t get in to the law library or to one of the Alameda County Public Libraries that have partnered with the Alameda County Law Library to provide access to Lexis and Westlaw? Are California Supreme Court briefs accessible for free?
[Read more]
 FAQ Friday: Executive Orders
Since Executive Orders have been in the news so much lately, you might be wondering where you can view them. In fact, you might be wondering what they are. An Executive Order is a declaration by the President which has the force of law based on existing statutory powers. Congress does not have to approve of the action for the Executive Order to take effect.
Read our blog post for a non-exclusive list of some places where you can find Executive Orders, including the White House website, the Federal Register, The American Presidency Project, Lexis, and Westlaw.
FAQ Friday: Do you have a list of California Laws that went into effect on January 1?
As a matter of fact, yes, we do. The Daily Journal publishes a list of laws that we passed in 2024 and what codes they modify. We have the list at the Reference Desk. The official title is New California Law: a List of all California Laws Passed in … and the Codes They Modified.
This booklet also contacts expert analysis of the most impactful legislation of the past year.
[Read more]
 Video Recording of the Dealing with Debt: Legal Rights and Options presentation from February 27, 2025 Now Available
We've made a video recording of the Dealing with Debt: Legal Rights and Options presentation from February 27, 2025 available on our YouTube channel.
Program Description
Learn about the different types of debt, how to assert your rights when dealing with debt collectors, and what to do if you have been sued.
Presenter Bio
Nisha Ajmani is a staff attorney at HERA. She focuses her work on tenant advocacy, including helping tenants resolve issues related to credit reporting, debt collection, housing discrimination, habitability, and landlord disputes.
Prior to joining HERA, Nisha was a Housing Staff Attorney at Family Violence Law Center, in Oakland, where she advocated on behalf of domestic violence survivors who were dealing with housing legal issues. Her work there included in-court representation of survivors in obtaining restraining and move-out orders and defending against evictions. Nisha has also spent a substantial portion of her legal career advocating on behalf of system-involved youth.
Nisha was a summer legal intern at HERA in 2011 and a post-graduate attorney fellow at HERA in 2013. Nisha earned her J.D. in 2012 from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was a Managing Editor on the Oregon Law Review. Nisha was born and raised in the Bay Area and earned her B.A. from Bowdoin College in 2006. She enjoys painting in her free time.
View the video here
Small Claims Court: Digital Evidence Portal
On February 11, 2025. the Superior Court of Alameda County introduced a new Small Claims Digital Evidence Portal.
As noted in the court’s release: “All evidence for a trial from videos to documents can be uploaded via the Court’s portal at https://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/online-services/digital-evidence-portal. ” Use of the portal is not mandatory but is encouraged to be used for all cases in small claims court.
[Read More]
 Thinking about adding or changing a name on a property in Alameda County? The Alameda County Law Library can help! Our latest slide deck provides an overview of the process, the required documents, and how to locate county forms. Plus, discover the legal resources available at the library to help you along the way!
View the 9 page slide deck on our Facebook page here or download it here
Download our expanded 19-page PDF guide "Deeds – Adding or changing names on real estate"
 Alameda County Law Library's How Do I Fill Out this Form Resource Guide
Figuring out how to correctly fill out court forms can be daunting, but you don't have to do it alone! Swipe through our latest resource guide slide deck to discover some essential resources that can help simplify filling out court forms.
Download the slide deck as a PDF file here
View the slide deck on Instagram here
What is the Difference Between Judicial Warrants, Administrative Warrants, and ICE Warrants?
From our latest Advance Sheet blog post:
In the United States, different governing bodies can issue various types of warrants, but not all warrants grant the same level of authority or require the same degree of compliance. Understanding these distinctions is crucial, particularly when it comes to immigration enforcement, where the type of warrant presented can significantly impact an individual’s rights and obligations.
[Read More]
 Alameda County Law Library Immigration Resources Slide Deck
Our latest slide deck focuses on immigration resources available at the Alameda County Law Library and beyond. Whether you need information on asylum, deportation, visas, or immigrant rights, we’re here to help.
Download the slide deck here or view it on Instagram
Alameda County Law Library's List of Immigration Referrals
We have updated our list of immigration referrals. This list includes various legal aid organizations and two sources for finding private attorneys. Possible services offered may include adjustment of status, visas, naturalization/citizenship, family reunification, VAWA petitions, DACA, removal hearings, deportation defense, asylum, among others. The list can be accessed here.
 An Introduction to Property Deeds & Property Titles -- Legal Access Alameda Video Now Available Online
Legal Access Alameda has made available online a video entitled An Introduction to Property Deeds & Property Titles. The video is designed to help people understand the legal terms and definitions related to real property ownership, the importance of having a clear title—particularly when disaster strikes and FEMA aid is sought, and the different ways to take title and their tax implications.
You can watch the video here
Law Help Interactive: Online Software for Alameda County Residents Who Want Help Filling Out Certain Forms
Law Help Interactive is a free website that can help you fill out legal forms generated from answers you provide to interview style questions.
You can find a list of issues that Law Help Interactive covers on the Superior Court of California County of Alameda Law Help Interactive webpage. Generally, the tool helps with forms for various issues related to:
- Divorce/Legal Separation/Nullity
- Restraining Orders
- Name Change
- Parentage
- Eviction – Unlawful Detainer
- Guardianship Petition
[Read more]
Upcoming MCLE Compliance Deadlines
For attorneys whose last name ends in A-G, the compliance deadline for reporting Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) to the California State Bar is March 30, 2025. Licensees whose compliance period ends March 29, 2025, are required to complete and report 25 hours of MCLE in adherence with the following parameters (taken directly from the California State Bar website)
[Read more]
Trellis Access Ending December 1, 2024, and an Alternative
The company Trellis has made a business decision to end remote patron access (the ability to access Trellis outside of the library) for law libraries and their patrons. As a result, the Alameda County Law Library’s current subscription to Trellis will end on December 1, 2024.
We will miss this database, but we want to assure our library researchers that you can have access to trial court documents and verdicts through other databases we have on our research computers. To search for trial court documents and jury verdicts you can use Lexis Advance, one of the databases in our library, and at the Dublin and Fremont Public Libraries. [Read more]
 Where do I file my case?
In a county as large as Alameda, it is not surprising that there are several courthouses located throughout the county. Given the many locations, it can be a little confusing figuring out where to file your court documents. This post should help you find the right courthouse for your case.
Download the slide deck here or view it in our Instagram post.
Read more on our blog and view an accompanying slide deck here and in our Instagram post
Self-Study MCLE Credit for MCLE Videos on the Alameda County Law Library YouTube Channel Now Available
You can now watch videos of some of our past MCLE events for California Self Study MCLE credit. We have put links to the MCLE written materials in the description fields of the MCLE videos on the Alameda County Law Library YouTube Channel's Self-Study MCLE playlist. You can watch the videos, download and read the written materials, and keep a record of your self-study activities on a California State Bar MCLE Personal Log, which can be downloaded from: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/forms/mcle/MCLE-Personal-Log_ADA.pdf
Note that self-study credit can be received only from videos that were prepared in the preceding five years (see MCLE Rules – Attorneys (effective October 1, 2023), Rules of the State Bar, Title 2, Div. 4, Rule 2.83 Self-study at: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/rules/Rules_Title2_Div4-MCLE.pdf)
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