Community service options abound, says Virginia DUI lawyer

Community service (CS) often is important to assist with DUI/DWI criminal case negotiations and any court sentencing. As a Virginia DWI lawyer, my clients often ask about their CS options, so I list them here for the convenience of all. My clients also ask about the ignition interlock, so I also write about that below.

Virginia criminal lawyer on the value of a criminal defendant’s doing homework before court

As a Virginia DUI lawyer, I provide my clients with a tailor-made homework plan that might assist the progress of their case.

For the community service component of this criminal case homework, I posted a detailed 2016 community service blog on tackling this task, and later posted these online community service options. Below is an expanded list of volunteer service options, most of which are easy to find and handle.

Virginia DWI attorney’s suggested list of community service options

Below are some suggested agencies for my clients to consider for doing documented community service. I remind my clients that they can consider doing CS at a mixture of organizations, and can consider volunteer service that might enhance their resumes and enable them to meet interesting people. I recommend avoiding political and for-profit volunteer service work, although nursing homes are fine even if for profit.

Fairfax criminal lawyer’s suggested service options

Here are some community service options:

• Libraries
• Parks
• Homework assistance and other assistance to students
• Soup kitchens and food banks
• Teaching illiterate and insufficiently literate people
• Nursing homes (avoid hospitals if they have a review process that will slow down starting volunteer service work)
• Habitat for Humanity stores and building projects
• Goodwill and Salvation Army
• Meals on Wheels
• Animal shelters
• Senior citizen organizations
• Non-profit fundraisers

Community service that can be done at home

• Transcribing historical documents for the Virginia State Library Making History project. (UPDATE: In early September 2022, the latter project may have had no further opportunities; additional transcribing projects appear available at fromthepage.com. Make sure that you will get documentation of the time you work on such projects.). Also, you might wish to check out transcribing opportunities through the Smithsonian, National Archives and Library of Congress.
• Society for the Blind apparently sometimes has audio recording and additional volunteer options

Challenges for minors seeking community service: Some volunteer work centers might bar minors out of legal liability concerns. Minors’ CS options can include improving parks, the above-referenced at-home options, and checking with one’s house of worship.

Additional ideas: for community service can be found by Googling for local volunteer opportunities, checking with the United Way and other non-profit umbrella organizations, and in Northern Virginia checking with Volunteer Fairfax’s website and its personnel.

Virginia DUI attorney warns to avoid for-profit “community service” scams

Unfortunately, knowing how extensive is the demand to find community service opportunities, scammers exist who for a fee will arrange to provide documentation of completing such non-CS as reading articles (as opposed to audio-recording writings for blind people) and taking no action on them. Avoid all scams.

Virginia DUI lawyer/ criminal attorney Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best defense against DWI, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. Call 703-383-1100 for a free in-person consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending case.