Volunteer Opportunities

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Law Student Pro Bono Opportunities

Special Project: Document Translation

VLP offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, from case handling to short-term projects. There are opportunities for attorneys with all levels and types of experience. We provide the training and support attorneys need to make pro bono work. Find out more about the supports and benefits available to VLP pro bono attorneys.

Cases

The Volunteer Lawyers Project handles cases in the following areas:

Landlord/Tenant
Homeownership, including cases for first-time home buyers in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston
Foreclosure Prevention
Family Law, with a focus on cases helping custodial parents achieve economic independence
Guardianship of Minors
Guardianship of Incapacitated Adults
Wills & Estates
Bankruptcy, including cases for people with HIV and AIDS in partnership with the AIDS Action Committee
Unemployment Insurance
Consumer
Criminal Record Sealing
Tax Assistance
Assistance to Non-Profit Organizations

VLP staff attorneys and paralegals carefully screen cases prior to referral to pro bono panel members. With each case referred, panel attorneys receive a detailed memo summarizing the case and identifying the presenting issues. VLP also assesses the complexity of cases of case so that simpler cases are referred to less experienced attorneys and more challenging cases go to more seasoned practitioners.

If you are not yet a VLP panel member, browse our sample cases to see common types of cases we handle. Panel members who are logged in to this site may view our current list of cases available for referral. For more information about available cases, please contact our Referral Coordinator Russell Rennie at rrennie@vlpnet.org or by phone (617) 423-0648 x129.

Ready to take a case? Find out more about VLP's case referral process.

Short-Term Projects

If taking an ongoing case does not fit into your schedule, VLP offers many short-term pro bono opportunities for busy lawyers. With our Limited Assistance Representation court projects and advice hotlines, you can volunteer for a discrete block of time on a particular day. Your commitment does not extend beyond that day. Many volunteers like the predictability of these projects and volunteer for them on a regular basis.

You can now sign up for VLP/SPJ court projects online at vlp.volunteerhub.com.

Special Project: Document Translation

Bilingual volunteers - we need your help in meeting the needs of our increasingly linguistically diverse client base. We are looking for volunteers, including undergraduate or graduate students, attorneys, and others, to translate documents from English into other languages. We need assistance in the following languages: Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese. There are several documents that need to be translated and most of them are one or two pages. We need this done by mid - December. If you have the skills and time to help, please email VLP Chief Couns Lynn Girton, Chief Counsel. Many, many thanks for considering this volunteer opportunity.