American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Maine

https://www.aclumaine.org/

Volunteer: https://action.aclu.org/volunteer/volunteer-interest-survey

ACLU Maine is the Maine affiliate of the nationwide ACLU.  ACLU Maine is active in the courts, the legislature and the public sphere to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and to extend their promises to all Mainers. Priority issues include criminal justice reform, reproductive freedom, racial justice, immigrants' rights, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, voting rights, freedom of expression, freedom of speech and religion, and privacy. 

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers Program – Maine (Virtual Advice Clinic)

https://maine.freelegalanswers.org/

Volunteer registration:

https://maine.freelegalanswers.org/Attorneys/Account/Agreement

 Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic. Qualifying users post their civil legal question to their state's website. Users will then be emailed when their question receives a response. Attorney volunteers, who must be authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. Volunteer attorneys will not answer criminal law questions.

When you register as a volunteer, you can watch a brief video training before getting started.

American Bar Association: Young Lawyers Division - Disaster Legal Services Program

COVID-19 Legal Help Clinic: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-maine-residents-in-need-navigate-covid-19-leg/?region=ME

Other ABA opportunities: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/FJE/get_involved/

Contact: Ali Tozier atozier@mpmlaw.com

P. O. Box 9785 75 Pearl Street Portland, ME 04104-5085

As a result of conditions related to COVID-19, many Maine residents will be forced to address urgent legal issues involving unemployment insurance, housing, small business claims, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and consumer problems, among others.

Sign up for this opportunity to help individuals in need of general legal assistance in Maine through the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program, and you’ll be notified as cases become available. Please indicate which areas of law are most relevant and/or interesting to you.

American Bar Association: Military Pro Bono Project https://www.militaryprobono.org/probono/item.3210-Pro_Bono_Case_Opportunities_for_Volunteer_Attorneys

Volunteer: Contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org

The mission of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project—an access-to-justice initiative in collaboration with the U.S. military—is to provide a centralized system for connecting civil legal case referrals from military legal assistance offices with private-sector volunteer lawyers who provide pro bono legal help to service members and their families.

If you are interested in helping with any of the listed cases, please contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org. You will then be provided with conflict check information and, if you have no conflicts, further information about the case. To stay updated about case opportunities in your area, sign up!

Consumers for Affordable Healthcare (CAHC)

www.mainecahc.org

Contact: https://www.mainecahc.org/about-us/contact-us/

PO Box 2490
Augusta, ME 04338-2490

Phone: (800) 965-7476

Provides guidance in identifying coverage options and applying for health care assistance programs. Additionally, CAHC’s Health Law program provides legal assistance in filing appeals for claim denials and resolving other disputes with private health insurance companies.

Disability Rights Center of Maine (DRCME)

www.drcme.org

Contact: Advocate@drme.org

160 Capitol Street, Suite 4
Augusta, ME 04330

800.452.1948 (V/TTY)
207.626.2774 (V/TTY)
207.621.1419 (FAX)

An agency representing people whose rights have been violated or who have been discriminated against based on their disability. DRCME also provides training on rights and self-advocacy and advocates for public policy reform. DRCME’s mission is to enhance and promote the quality, self-determination, independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of people with disabilities through education, strategic advocacy and legal intervention.

Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP)

http://www.ilapmaine.org

Volunteer: https://ilapmaine.org/pro-bono-panel

General email: ilap@ilapmaine.org

489 Congress Street, 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 17917
Portland, ME 04112

Phone: (207) 780-1593
Fax: (207) 699-2313

As Maine’s only state-wide immigration legal services organization, ILAP advances justice and equity for immigrants and their families through direct legal services, community education, and systemic advocacy.

ILAP’s Pro Bono Panel is a critical partner in efforts to serve the needs of low-income asylum seekers in Maine.

For more information about ILAP’s Pro Bono Panel or to join, please contact Asylum Program Director Jennifer Bailey (207-699-4408) or Asylum Program Paralegal Nadine Twagirayezu at (207-699-4401).

Legal Services for the Elderly

http://mainelse.org/content/how-you-can-help-lse-and-elderly

5 Wabon Street

Augusta ME 04330

Tel: (207) 621-0087

Legal Services for the Elderly (LSE) provides persons age 60 and over with free legal advice regarding health care, health insurance, Medicare (including Part D), MaineCare (Medicaid), Social Security and other public benefits, pension and retirement benefits, powers of attorney, consumer matters including creditor and bankruptcy problems, physical and financial abuse, guardianship defense and other issues.  LSE welcomes helps from both practicing and retired attorneys.

Maine CASA

http://casaofmaine.org/

Contact: http://casaofmaine.org/contact.html

1 Court St., Ste. 301,

Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (207) 213-2865  

Fax: (207) 430-4104

Maine CASA provides volunteer advocates for abused, neglected, or abandoned children when the state has requested court intervention because their parents are not able to care for them. These children are part of Maine’s child welfare system through no fault of their own and many have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect they have suffered there.

Maine Equal Justice

https://maineequaljustice.org/

Volunteer: https://maineequaljustice.org/take-action/

126 Sewall Street
Augusta, ME 04330

Toll-free: 1-866-626-7059

Maine Equal Justice focuses its work on many of the issues that affect people’s daily lives – access to adequate health care, housing, transportation and childcare; food and income security; and higher education and training. 

Maine Equal Justice may provide legal help in the following areas:

Alternative Aid, ASPIRE, Child Care Subsidy, Competitive Skills Scholarship Program, Emergency Assistance, Food Assistance (SNAP), General Assistance, Immigrant Eligibility for Public Assistance, MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program), Parents as Scholars, and TANF

Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project

https://www.vlp.org

Volunteer: Please email Beth Richardson Esq., brichardson@vlp.org

Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.vlp.org/for-lawyers

88 Federal Street

Portland, ME 04101

The need in Maine for pro bono legal services is vast.  Approximately 1/3 of all Mainers are low-income and qualify for pro bono legal services.

The VLP acts as a nexus, connecting pro bono attorneys with Maine people who would otherwise be dealing with a civil legal issue on their own.

The VLP conducts an eligibility intake with every potential client and then refers them to a pro bono attorney, clinic, self-help materials or other pro bono resource.

The VLP has a small business/nonprofit clinic.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Full Representation of civil cases
• Court Panels with limited representation, following the Lawyer of the Day Model:
  
  • Court representation of victims of domestic violence during Protection from Abuse hearings in Portland
  • Court representation of unrepresented parties during Protection from Abuse hearings in Lewiston
• Limited Representation Model
  
  • Courthouse based clinics: Family Law throughout Maine and Small Claims in Portland
  • Workers’ Rights clinic in Portland
  • Telephone-based weekly family law help line for victims of domestic violence, state wide
  • Guardianship of minors program primarily addressing kinship guardianship inquiries

Pine Tree Legal Assistance

https://ptla.org/

Volunteer: Fill out form https://ptla.org/volunteer

Find local office: https://ptla.org/contact-us

Contact: PTLA's Director of Pro Bono Services, Shannon Karam at skaram@ptla.org

Administrative Office

P.O. Box 547
Portland, ME 04112

Phone: (207)-774-4753

Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA) is a statewide, non-profit organization committed to providing high quality, free, civil legal assistance to low-income people in Maine.  PTLA prioritizes cases that help individuals and families meet basic human needs, including access to housing, food, income, safety, education, and well-being.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA) - in collaboration with various other organizations, is putting on regular subject-matter trainings for volunteer attorneys! These trainings may count for CLE credit, and are free. Pine Tree provides malpractice insurance, a small litigation fund, training, and mentoring. Opportunities include:

• Eviction defense project
• Consumer defense project
• “Every student all day, every day” school exclusion project
• “Lawyer of the day” courthouse pickups
• Veterans panel
• Low-income taxpayer clinic
• Maine Attorneys Saving Homes

Learn more about volunteer opportunities with PTLA.

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers Program – Massachusetts (Virtual Advice Clinic)

https://mass.freelegalanswers.org/

Volunteer:

https://mass.freelegalanswers.org/Attorneys/Account/Agreement

For more information, email info@masslao.org.

Massachusetts Virtual Legal Advice Clinic - Answer Questions from Home

Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic. Qualifying users post their civil legal question to their state's website. Users will then be emailed when their question receives a response. Attorney volunteers, who must be authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. Volunteer attorneys will not answer criminal law questions.

You can register as a volunteer and watch a brief video training before getting started.

Mass Legal Answers Online is managed by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute with assistance from the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association.  They are currently seeking volunteers to join their advice panel.

There is no required time commitment, although they encourage you to answer at least one question a month.

Open to all attorneys in good standing who are licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, or registered for pro bono status with the Board of Bar Overseers, including in house counsel.

Malpractice coverage provided to volunteer attorneys for legal guidance provided through the website.

American Bar Association: Young Lawyers Division - Disaster Legal Services Program

COVID-19 Employment Legal Help Clinic: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-bay-staters-with-covid-related-employment-iss/?region=MA

General COVID-19 Legal Help: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-massachusetts-residents-in-need-navigate-covi/?region=MA

Help Massachusetts Residents in Need with COVID-19 Related Employment Issues

Employers are taking unprecedented action in the face of COVID-19, affecting employees in critical ways and creating a significant spike in employment-related legal issues like unemployment benefit denials, unlawful terminations, job discrimination, and missing back pay, among others.

Help Massachusetts Residents in Need Navigate General COVID-19 Legal Issues

As a result of conditions related to COVID-19, many Massachusetts residents will be forced to address urgent legal issues involving unemployment insurance, housing, small business claims, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and consumer problems, among others.

American Bar Association: Military Pro Bono Project https://www.militaryprobono.org/probono/item.3210-Pro_Bono_Case_Opportunities_for_Volunteer_Attorneys

Volunteer: Contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org

The mission of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project—an access-to-justice initiative in collaboration with the U.S. military—is to provide a centralized system for connecting civil legal case referrals from military legal assistance offices with private-sector volunteer lawyers who provide pro bono legal help to service members and their families.

If you are interested in helping with any of the listed cases, please contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org. You will then be provided with conflict check information and, if you have no conflicts, further information about the case. To stay updated about case opportunities in your area, sign up!

A Safe Place, Inc.

https://www.asafeplacenantucket.org/

Volunteer: https://www.asafeplacenantucket.org/get-involved/volunteer

Contact: info@asafeplacenantucket.org

A Safe Place, Inc
5B Windy Way
Nantucket, MA 02554

Phone: (508) 228-0561

Works to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault in the Nantucket community while empowering every woman, man and child to live a life free from violence.

Services at A Safe Place are FREE and confidential and are available without regard to race, color, immigration status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Volunteer opportunities include Court Advocacy. Volunteers attend District and Probate Court to provide support and information to people in domestic-abuse situations. Training required.

Ascentria Care Alliance

https://www.ascentria.org/our-services/services-for-new-americans/legal-services

Volunteer: https://www.ascentria.org/volunteer/inquire-about-volunteer-opportunities

Contact: https://www.ascentria.org/our-services/services-for-new-americans/legal-services/contact-us-ilap

11 Shattuck Street,
Worcester, MA 01605 

Phone: 774.243.3045

The Ascentria Immigration Legal Assistance Program provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrants in Massachusetts. Their team of legal professionals and lawyers offers legal advice and representation to complete immigration applications and petitions.

Ascentria’s ILAP serves a wide range of new Americans and survivors of violent crime, such as:

• Asylum seekers
• Immigrants & refugees
• Unaccompanied minors
• Survivors of violent crime, domestic violence, rape, sexual violence, and human trafficking

Volunteers contribute in many ways including pro bono professional services.

Center for Public Representation

https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/

Contact: info@cpr-ma.org

22 Green Street
Northampton, MA 01060

Phone: (413) 586-6024

Center for Public Representation (CPR) is dedicated to enforcing and expanding the rights of people with disabilities and others who are in segregated settings. CPR uses legal strategies, advocacy, and policy to design and implement systemic reform initiatives to promote their integration and full community participation. Working on state, national and international levels, CPR is committed to equality, diversity and social justice in all its activities.

Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts

https://www.clcm.org/

Volunteer: https://www.clcm.org/volunteer-intern

Contact: Info@CLCM.org
 

P.O. Box 710
298 Union St.
Lynn, MA 01903

Phone: (781) 581-1977

Consistent with its mission, the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) aims to secure equal justice and maximize opportunity for low-income children and youth across the state by providing quality, culturally sensitive advocacy and legal services.

The CLCM provides a comprehensive array of legal representation in the areas of education, child welfare (abuse & neglect), immigration, juvenile justice, and various other matters such as mental health, insurance access, family-law related issues, and support to victims of crime.

Community Legal Aid

https://communitylegal.org/

Volunteer: https://communitylegal.org/get-involved/pro-bono/apply-to-volunteer/

Contact:

Meredith Palmer, Pro Bono Director, Community Legal Aid

mpalmer@cla-ma.org

One Monarch Place, Suite 400
Springfield, MA 01144

Phone: (413) 686-9010

Community Legal Aid, Inc. (CLA) is the free civil legal aid provider for residents of the five counties of Central and Western Massachusetts (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester).

CLA supports its volunteers by providing:

• Malpractice Insurance
• Mentorship
• Free and reduced-fee trainings
• Substantive toolkits and resources
• Use of offices to meet with clients
• Access to free phone interpreter and translator services

Locations in:

Fitchburg

Northampton

Pittsfield

Springfield

Worcester

Greenfield

Holyoke

Milford

North Adams

Southbridge

COVID Eviction Legal Help Project

https://evictionlegalhelp.org/

Contact: https://evictionlegalhelp.org/contact/

The COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP) was formed to expand the capacity of legal aid organizations in Massachusetts, as well as the pro bono bar, to provide urgently needed legal assistance in COVID-related eviction cases.

CELHP will provide referrals, legal information, assistance and legal representation in Housing Court, and where capacity allows in District Courts and for tenants at risk of losing their subsidized housing. The goal of representation is to achieve housing stability.

Criminal Record Sealing Pilot Project

https://bostonbar.org/in-the-community/public-service/cori-sealing-project

Volunteer: Email Chane Vanes at cvanes@bostonbar.org

Or:

Melissa Gonzalez, Pro Bono Program Officer, Greater Boston Legal Services

MGonzalez@gbls.org

197 Friend Street

Boston, MA 02114

Phone: (617) 603-1604

The Boston Bar Association and Greater Boston Legal Services’ CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) Sealing Clinic is now virtual!

This clinic connects low-income clients who have questions about their criminal records with volunteer attorneys who can help.

De Novo

https://www.denovo.org/

 
Volunteer contact: Susan Corcoran, Volunteer and Training Coordinator

617-405-5457 scorcoran@denovo.org

De Novo supports legal and counseling programs throughout Greater Boston and, for immigrant and refugee clients, statewide.

Opportunities

• Homelessness Prevention Project assists people at risk of homelessness or involuntary dislocation with legal aid to avoid eviction and obtain/retain safe, affordable housing.
• Domestic Violence Advocacy Project helps survivors and their children secure legal protection from violence and abuse, safe custody and visitation, and financial stability through child/spousal support and health care.
• Immigration Law Project assists asylum seekers, immigrant victims of domestic violence or crime, and children abused, abandoned or neglected by their parents.
• Disability Benefits Project represents people with disabilities who have been wrongly denied SSI/SSDI benefits or had their benefits unfairly reduced or terminated.
• Client Intake Interviews: Volunteers conduct in-person or phone intake interviews with clients, help identify key issues and prepare case summaries for supervising attorneys.
• Immigration Legal Screening Clinic: Volunteer attorneys provide legal consults to clients at De Novo on the third Wednesday evening of each month, 5:30 pm to 8 pm.
• Housing Court ‘Lawyer For the Day’ Clinic: Volunteers for this free walk-in clinic provide legal advice and limited representation to pro se litigants at the Eastern Housing Court session at Cambridge District Court every Friday, between 8 am to 3 pm.

De Novo offers volunteer opportunities for lawyers, interpreters, paralegals, intake workers, law students and non-legal professionals interested in supporting the Legal Program.

Greater Boston Legal Services

https://www.gbls.org/

Volunteer: https://www.gbls.org/get-involved/probono

For additional information, or to get started, please reach out to the Pro Bono Program at probono@gbls.org or (617) 603-1604.

Main Office
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114

Phone: 617-371-1234

Every week, Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) provides free legal assistance and representation on civil (noncriminal) matters to hundreds of the neediest residents in the city of Boston and 31 surrounding cities and towns.

Current pro bono projects include:

• Filing immigration petitions on behalf of survivors of trafficking, abuse, or other crimes
• Protecting low-income consumers from unfair debt collection 
• Preventing home insecurity and homelessness
• Help prevent homelessness and housing instability through two different projects, one on a short term basis and one through a case-long commitment:
• GBLS Eviction Defense Clinic
• Advocating for low-income workers unfairly denied Unemployment Insurance
• Advocating for children with disabilities

Hampden County Legal Clinic

https://www.hcbarlegalclinic.org/

Volunteer: https://www.hcbarlegalclinic.org/get-involved

50 State Street

Springfield, MA 01102

Phone: 413-733-6500

The Hampden County Legal Clinic is a free legal assistance service that advises low income persons on issues relating to family, consumer and housing law.  The clinic is sponsored by the Hampden County Bar Association with financial support from the Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company.

The Lawyers Clearinghouse

https://lawyersclearinghouse.org/

Volunteer: https://lawyersclearinghouse.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Contact: https://lawyersclearinghouse.org/get-involved/contact-us/

7 Winthrop Square, 2^nd floor
Boston, MA 02110

The Legal Referral Program connects Massachusetts nonprofits with volunteer lawyers. They also host a wide range of expert-led workshops for nonprofits and offer in-depth legal reviews of nonprofit operations through the Legal Assessment Program. Additionally, lawyers may volunteer with the Pro Bono Consultation Series, which offers an opportunity to assist a nonprofit on discrete topics such as policy review in a clinic-style setting

If you are interested in doing pro bono work for nonprofit organizations through the Clearinghouse, please contact the Nonprofit Assistance Program Manager, Russell Paul, by email, or at 617.544.3434 ext. 108.

The Legal Clinic for the Homeless program provides legal assistance to the homeless at eight shelter locations. Lawyers are also invited to join the Legal Clinic Panel, composed of volunteer attorneys that handle pro bono cases with the assistance of the Clearinghouse’s resources and mentoring capacity.

If you are interested in doing pro bono work through the Legal Clinic for the Homeless program or would like to join the Legal Clinic Panel, please contact Legal Clinic Manager, Sean Thekkeparayil, by email, or at 617.544.3434 ext. 110.

The Access to Justice Fellows Program pairs lawyers who are retired or transitioning to retirement with non-profit and legal services organizations to provide critical assistance to underserved individuals and community and public interest groups.

If you are interested in doing pro bono work as an Access to Justice Fellow, please contact the Access to Justice Fellows Program Manager Susan Gedrick by email, or at 617.544.3434 ext. 105.

Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston

http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/get-involved/pro-bono-opportunities/

Volunteer: http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/get-involved/pro-bono-opportunities/

Contact: office@lawyersforcivilrights.org

61 Batterymarch Street
Boston, MA 02110

Phone: (617) 482-1145
Fax: (617) 482-4392

Business Legal Clinics

Pro bono attorneys meet with entrepreneurs for 30-minute one-on-one sessions to respond to questions entrepreneurs have as they start new businesses or grow existing ones.

Pro Bono Legal Representation

Attorneys may agree to represent individual entrepreneurs on discrete business law matters on a pro bono basis. If an attorney accepts the entrepreneur as a client, the attorney and client discuss the client’s particular legal issue(s) and the attorney sets these discrete issues out in an engagement letter. The representation is then limited to the resolution of these discrete legal needs.

Workshops on Business Legal Issues

Pro bono attorneys can work with LCR to develop curricula and conduct legal workshops to classes of entrepreneurs at collaborating community organizations on legal topics relevant to small business owners.

LCR sponsors workshops in languages other than English, as the needs of particular communities demand, and is always looking for attorneys who are comfortable conducting workshops in other languages.

Training Community Organizations

LCR also uses the service of pro bono attorneys to train staff members at collaborating organizations who work with entrepreneurs to educate them on legal issues entrepreneurs confront in the formation and operation of their businesses.

Legal Advocacy & Resource Center (LARC)

https://larcma.wordpress.com/about/

Volunteer Contact: Dan Biagiotti

(617) 603-1700

dbiagiotti@gbls.org

LARC operates a statewide free legal hotline that serves as the primary entry point for low-income callers in the Greater Boston area who believe they are experiencing legal problems. LARC staff provide civil legal information as well as referrals to appropriate legal and social service agencies. LARC has two types of pro bono opportunities for attorneys:

• Attorneys can join the “employment law helpline” panel. LARC hotline staff screen callers and refer low-income clients with employment-related questions to a panel of volunteer attorneys. Panel attorneys agree to provide clients with a brief telephone consultation on a scheduled day and time each month.
• Attorneys can also volunteer to take hotline calls at LARC on a day and time of their choosing.
• LARC provides orientation, training covering hotline legal areas, attorney supervision while staffing hotline, ongoing staff training and case review.

Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC)

http://massadvocates.org/volunteer/ 

(617) 357-8431 ext. 224
 

Volunteer Contact: Leslie Lockhart,

Helpline Coordinator

(617) 357-8431 ext. 3226 llockhart@massadvocates.org

MAC is dedicated to being an independent and effective voice for children who face significant barriers to equal educational and life opportunities. MAC’s constituency are those children who face the greatest barriers to educational success, due to disability, race/ethnicity, language and/or poverty.

MAC seeks attorney volunteers for its helpline and to provide pro bono or low cost services to low-income families. Intake, mentoring and case handling volunteer opportunities available. Mentoring by MAC staff and private attorneys, training manuals and videos are offered.

Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston (MLP | Boston)

http://www.mlpboston.org/partner-with-us

Volunteer Contact: JoHanna Flacks, Legal Director

(617) 366-7500 ext. 454

jflacks@mlpboston.org

MLP | Boston improves the health and well-being of vulnerable populations by supporting the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of social needs with legal solutions. With the support of a network of pro bono partners and legal aid agency peers, MLP | Boston’s team of lawyers and paralegals provides direct legal assistance to eligible patients treated at participating health care institutions.

Contributions by these volunteers include: accepting individual case referrals; “adopting” a health clinic and staffing a weekly legal clinic there; conducting research on ethics and confidentiality issues arising in the MLP model; and engaging in systemic advocacy in partnership with clinicians.

MetroWest Legal Services

https://mwlegal.org/

Volunteer: https://mwlegal.org/getinvolved/volunteer-form

MetroWest Legal Services
63 Fountain Street, Suite 304
Framingham, MA 01702

Phone: (508) 620-1830 

MetroWest Legal Services provides free civil legal aid to low-income people and victims of crime. Their priority practice areas include: Family Law, Housing, Homeless Advocacy, Government Benefits (including Social Security), Education, Elder Law & Immigration. 

Northeast Legal Aid https://www.northeastlegalaid.org/

Volunteer: https://www.northeastlegalaid.org/volunteer

Lawrence Office
50 Island Street
Suite 203A
Lawrence, MA 01840

Northeast Legal Aid (NLA)—through its board, management, and staff—helps low-income and elderly people of Northeast Massachusetts obtain justice and empowerment through skillful, creative, and persistent advocacy for systemic change and high-quality individual representation.   

NLA offers free civil legal services to low income and elderly individuals and families in northeast Massachusetts. NLA has full-service offices in Lynn, Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts. NLA has an outreach office in Haverhill, Massachusetts with limited hours.

PAIR Project

https://www.pairproject.org/

Volunteer: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4QRXrx-4MurvvcG4tFW2VUu9kWgvSU1-VJrynkuwBagRCjA/viewform?c=0&w=1

Contact: Elena Noureddine, Legal Director, enoureddine@pairproject.org

98 North Washington Street, Suite 106 ​​​​
Boston MA 02114

Phone: (617) 742-9296

Asylum Program 

PAIR takes a holistic, client-centered approach to client services, from intake to asylum relief, and continuing on with family reunification and assistance with asylee green cards.

Community "Know Your Rights"

Since December 2016, PAIR has conducted more than 716 “Know Your Rights” workshops in schools, community centers, health care facilities, places of worship, and other settings, reaching more than 16,400 immigrants, allies and service providers across Massachusetts.

Detention Program

PAIR is the only nonprofit in Massachusetts with negotiated access to provide legal orientation at all detention facilities where immigrants are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Justice for Immigrant Families

In December 2018, PAIR launched a new initiative across it programs, generously supported by the Rowland Foundation, aimed at providing specialized care for immigrant women and children in need of legal help, adding the coordination of essential wrap-around social services for this population who will be served through community partners. 

Project Citizenship

https://projectcitizenship.org/

Volunteer: Contact Gloria Donati at gdonati@projectcitizenship.org

4 Faneuil South Market Building 3^rd Floor

Boston, MA 02109

Phone: (617) 694-5949

Ways to get involved as a pro bono attorney:

1) Volunteer at a citizenship workshop for a few hours: help applicants review their N-400 citizenship applications for quality and accuracy. To register for a workshop, contact the Pro Bono Manager at your law firm.

2) Represent an applicant at their naturalization interview who is seeking a disability waiver of the English and civics requirements.

3) Review and revise a Disability Waiver for applicants seeking a waiver of the English and civics requirements due to a mental or physical disability.

Rian Immigrant Center

https://www.riancenter.org/

Volunteer: https://www.riancenter.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Contact: https://www.riancenter.org/who/contact-us/

One State Street
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 542-7654

The Rian Immigrant Center’s expert legal staff and pro bono attorneys offer free legal consultations at weekly legal clinics to over 2,000 immigrants, refugees, and asylees, and provide full case representation before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for over 600 families. They help low-income and under-served immigrants to gain legal status, work authorization, and to reunite their families so they can become empowered, reach stability, and move out of poverty.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.

http://www.sccls.org/

Volunteer: http://www.sccls.org/volunteer.asp

Contact: Victoria Gautney, Esq., PAI Coordinator
1-800-244-9023 ext. 3008
vgautney@sccls.org 

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. and its subsidiary, Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts gives free civil (non-criminal) legal help to low-income and elderly people, and victims of crime in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket and Plymouth Counties and the towns of Avon and Stoughton in Norfolk County. Issue areas include housing, family law, unemployment, SNAP, government benefits, SSI, elder law, bankruptcy, education law and more. SCCLS also provides group representation and community education.

Veterans Legal Services (formerly Shelter Legal Services)

https://veteranslegalservices.org/for-attorneys/

Phone: (857) 317-4474
 

Volunteer Contact:  Lynn Girton,

VLS’s Pro Bono Director

Lynn@veteranslegalservices.org

Veterans Legal Services' mission is to promote self-sufficiency, stability, and financial security of homeless and low-income veterans through free and accessible legal services.

VLS welcomes attorney volunteers who are able to accept pro bono case referrals or mentor less experienced attorneys in their areas of specialization. Your volunteer work is covered by Veterans Legal Services’ malpractice insurance. Some ways to volunteer include:

• Accept pro bono case referrals
• Counsel veterans at Stand Down, Yellow Ribbon events, and other periodic events
• Conduct outreach presentations at shelters and social service agencies
• Mentor less experienced attorneys

Victim Rights Law Center

https://www.victimrights.org/

Volunteer: https://www.victimrights.org/pro-bono-attorneys

Contact: vrlc@victimrights.org

115 Broad Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110

Phone: (617) 399-6720

Volunteer attorneys and legal paraprofessionals gain personal and professional satisfaction by providing survivors with the legal support necessary to re-establish their lives. Volunteering with the VRLC is an opportunity for personal growth through connecting with and helping those in need, as well as forging a relationship with the VRLC, a nationally recognized leader in the victim rights movement. In addition, through training with and guidance from VRLC staff attorneys, volunteers expand and enrich their fluency in a variety of practice areas, such as privacy rights, sexual assault protection orders, housing, immigration, employment and education.

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

https://artsandbusinesscouncil.org/volunteer-lawyers-for-the-arts/

Volunteer Contact: Luke Blackadar, Director of Legal Services luke@artsandbusinesscouncil.org 

617-350-7600 x7016

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts (VLA_ provides legal services, advice, and educational programming to artists and cultural organizations in Massachusetts. The VLA accomplishes its mission through the work of a panel of more than 500 attorneys who volunteer their time and services to provide legal counsel, education, and organizational support to the Massachusetts arts community. The program serves individual artists, musical groups, and cultural organizations. The VLA accepts applications from artists and arts organizations for all non-criminal matters; most issues relate to contracts, copyright, and/or nonprofit incorporation and governance.

Volunteers must be licensed attorneys in good standing. While almost all applicants are in Massachusetts, VLA receives some requests from neighboring states that do not have a VLA program. VLA carries malpractice insurance that covers volunteers taking the pro bono cases.

VLA is also recruiting attorneys to join the panel for the Patent Pro Bono Program of New England, a new program launched in partnership with the USPTO and the Boston Patent Law Association.  

To join either or both lists, please email luke@artsandbusinesscouncil.org with your name and address, firm (if any), phone number, email address, dates and states of bar admission, and areas of legal interest or expertise.  It is also helpful to know if you have an interest in any particular area of art (a preference for literary cases, photography, or music, for example) or speak any additional languages. 

Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association (VLP)

http://www.vlpnet.org/

(617) 423-0648

Volunteer Contact: Pro Bono Manager Miranda Black

(857) 320-6446

info@vlpnet.org

Interested volunteers should fill out the form.
 

VLP provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Greater Boston, primarily through the pro bono services of private attorneys. VLP offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, from case handling to short-term projects (including Limited Assistance Representation court projects, clinics, and advice hotlines, so that volunteers can sign up for a discrete block of time on a particular day and the commitment does not extend beyond that day). There are opportunities for attorneys with all levels and types of experience, including:

VLP's Case Referral Process

Short-Term Projects

Guardianship Report Review Project (aka Judicial Designee Project)

Trusts & Estates Hotline

Fair Debt Collection Lawyer for the Day

Lawyer for the Day in Boston Housing Court

Guardianship Clinics

Family Law Clinic at the Suffolk Probate and Family Court

VLP provides insurance, training, and support to volunteers. 

VLP recently launched the COVID-19 Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP)! 

Western Mass Legal Services

http://www.wmls.org/index.html

Contact: http://www.wmls.org/contact_us/index.html

One Monarch Place, Suite 400 Springfield, MA 01144

Phone: (413) 781-7814

WMLS provides free legal help in non-criminal cases for low-income people and elders who live in western Massachusetts. The number of people eligible for help is far greater than existing resources. Current case acceptance priorities are housing, government benefits, family law and domestic violence, employment, disability, health care and problems uniquely affecting elders. The assistance ranges from legal advice to full representation.

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers Program – New Hampshire (Virtual Advice Clinic)

https://nh.freelegalanswers.org/

Volunteer Attorney Registration:

https://nh.freelegalanswers.org/Attorneys/Account/Agreement

New Hampshire Virtual Legal Advice Clinic - Answer Questions from Home

Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic. Qualifying users post their civil legal question to their state's website. Users will then be emailed when their question receives a response. Attorney volunteers, who must be authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. Volunteer attorneys will not answer criminal law questions.

When you register as a volunteer, you can watch a brief video training before getting started.

American Bar Association: Young Lawyers Division - Disaster Legal Services Program

COVID-19 Employment Assistance: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-new-hampshirites-with-covid-related-employmen/?region=NH

COVID-19 General Legal Assistance: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-new-hampshire-residents-in-need-navigate-covi/?region=NH

Help New Hampshire Residents in Need with COVID-19 Related Employment Issues

Employers are taking unprecedented action in the face of COVID-19, affecting employees in critical ways and creating a significant spike in employment-related legal issues like unemployment benefit denials, unlawful terminations, job discrimination, and missing back pay, among others.

Sign up for this opportunity to help individuals in need of general employment assistance in New Hampshire through the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program, in partnership with the New Hampshire Bar Association, and you’ll be notified as cases become available.

Help New Hampshire Residents in Need Navigate General COVID-19 Legal Issues

As a result of conditions related to COVID-19, many New Hampshire residents will be forced to address urgent legal issues involving unemployment insurance, housing, small business claims, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and consumer problems, among others.

Sign up for this opportunity to help individuals in need of general legal assistance in New Hampshire through the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program, and you’ll be notified as cases become available. Please indicate which areas of law are most relevant and/or interesting to you.

American Bar Association: Military Pro Bono Project https://www.militaryprobono.org/probono/item.3210-Pro_Bono_Case_Opportunities_for_Volunteer_Attorneys

Volunteer: Contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org

The mission of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project—an access-to-justice initiative in collaboration with the U.S. military—is to provide a centralized system for connecting civil legal case referrals from military legal assistance offices with private-sector volunteer lawyers who provide pro bono legal help to service members and their families.

If you are interested in helping with any of the listed cases, please contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org. You will then be provided with conflict check information and, if you have no conflicts, further information about the case. To stay updated about case opportunities in your area, sign up!

Disabilities Rights Center-New Hampshire

http://www.drcnh.org/index.html

Volunteer: Contact Pamela Phelan, Litigation Director, pamelap@drcnh.org

Contact: mail@drcnh.org

64 North Main Street, 

Suite 2, 3rd Floor

Concord, NH 03301-4913

Phone: (603) 228-0432

The Disabilities Rights Center (DRC) is dedicated to eliminating barriers existing in New Hampshire to the full and equal enjoyment of civil and other legal rights by people with disabilities. The DRC provides information, referral, advice, and legal representation and advocacy to individuals with disabilities on a wide range of disability-related problems.

DRC-NH is always looking for opportunities to partner with law firms to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities in individual or class action litigation, investigations of suspected incidents of neglect or abuse, and policy development.

The Domestic Violence Emergency (DOVE) Project

https://www.nhbar.org/legal-services-programs/dove/

Volunteer: Call, write or e-mail

Pam Dodge, DOVE Project Coordinator pdodge@nhbar.org

Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.nhbar.org/dove-volunteer-opportunities/

NH Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street
Suite 300
Concord NH 03301

Phone: (603) 715-3230

The Domestic Violence Emergency (DOVE) Project is a program of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Referral Program that provides victims of violence and stalking with emergency legal services.

DOVE is operated in partnership with domestic violence service agencies throughout NH and relies on the donated services of specially trained attorneys.

The DOVE Project provides free legal representation to qualifying clients at final Domestic Violence and Stalking Restraining Order hearings.

The DOVE Project recruits attorneys to represent qualifying petitioners who are referred by domestic violence centers around the state. Interested attorneys join a panel in their community and they accept referrals as they are available. Attorneys should expect to commit three to four hours to simpler cases and eight to twenty hours to more complex custody cases. Learn more.

Lawline

https://www.nhbar.org/legal-services-programs/lawline/

(603) 224-6942

Volunteer attorneys are available to answer your legal questions through Lawline, the Bar’s free telephone legal advice service.

Lawline is held on the SECOND Wednesday of each month from 6–8 p.m. 

Legal Advice & Referral Center (LARC)

https://nhlegalaid.org/about/legal-advice-and-referral-center

Volunteer: Call (800) 639-5290

Legal Advice & Referral Center

15 Green Street

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: (800) 639-5290

LARC is a private, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services to eligible, low-income people in New Hampshire. LARC receives support from the federal government and provide services to clients with incomes and assets below levels which are set by Congress and tied to federal poverty guidelines.

LARC provides help to clients with issues in the following areas of civil law:

Family
Domestic violence, divorce, separation, annulment, adoption, guardianship, child support, parental rights and responsibilities - parenting time, primary residential responsibility (used to be called child custody, interstate custody);

Housing
Landlord/tenant disputes, eviction, foreclosure, housing discrimination, housing preservation, rental deposits, public housing, Section 8, and housing conditions;

Benefits and welfare
Town and city welfare, unemployment compensation, public housing, Social Security, Medicaid, Food Stamps, disability benefits, SSI and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)

Low-Income Taxpayer Project

https://www.nhbar.org/legal-services-programs/low-income-taxpayer-project/

Contact:

Low-Income Taxpayer Project
Coordinator: Barbara G. Heggie, Esq.
Call: 603-228-6028
Email: bheggie@nhbar.org

Created by the NH Pro Bono Referral Program, the Low-Income Tax Project is designed to help low-income taxpayers with federal tax controversies under $50,000. A low-income taxpayer is someone whose income is not more than 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. So, a family of four making $59,625 or less qualifies for this program.

New Hampshire Legal Assistance

http://www.nhla.org/

Volunteer: Contact website@nhla.org

NHLA Administrative Office

117 North State Street

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: (603) 224-6942

New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) is a private non-profit law firm with five offices which provide legal services statewide. NHLA has a proud history of aggressive, creative advocacy for low income and elderly clients in federal and state courts, as well as legislative and administrative forums. 

Legal services tend to fall into several categories:

Public Benefits: The Benefits Project helps individuals obtain the assistance they need to stabilize their income and move toward self-sufficiency. Advocates help persons with disabilities obtain Social Security disability (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Assistance to the Permanently and Temporarily Disabled (APTD) benefits and access to health care through Medicare and Medicaid. The Project also works for improvements in the APTD/Medicaid system.

Domestic Violence Advocacy Project: The Domestic Violence Advocacy Project represents victims and survivors of domestic abuse in domestic violence restraining order hearings, and divorce and parenting/custody cases.

Housing Justice Project: The Housing Justice Project helps individuals and families who are either currently without shelter or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The Fair Housing Project investigates complaints of discrimination and assists people who are victims of housing discrimination.

Senior Law Project: The Senior Law Project assists seniors with civil legal problems including consumer protection/debt collection, health care, public and private housing, family problems, food stamps, public assistance benefits, utility shut-off, and nursing facility and assisted living/residential care facilities problems.

The legal services include legal advice, brief services and extended representation by attorneys and trained paralegals. The SLP also engages in outreach to increase awareness of the legal rights of seniors and to ensure that the community is aware of its services by means of presentations, pamphlets, and other written materials.

Youth Law Project:The Youth Law Project works with children and teenagers who are facing long-term suspensions and expulsions from school, delinquency or CHINS petitions, and youth at-risk of having such petitions filed against them. The Youth Law Project helps to secure the educational, health, mental health, and other services necessary for these young people to stay in their homes and communities and out of the juvenile justice system.

Volunteers with all types of skills, from legal to administrative to fundraising and beyond are needed to complement the work of NHLA.

The Pro Bono Program of the New Hampshire Bar Association

https://www.nhbar.org/legal-services-programs/pro-bono/

Volunteer: https://www.nhbar.org/contact-us/

2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: (603) 224-6942

The Pro Bono Program of the New Hampshire Bar Association coordinates private attorneys who volunteer (are unpaid) to help low-income people with civil legal problems and needs.

Pro Bono is a private (non-government), non-profit operated through, and supported by, the New Hampshire Bar Association. The Program partners with NHLA and LARC to serve low-income families and individuals with basic legal issues. A small staff runs Pro Bono, which includes recruiting and coordinating training programs for attorneys, reviewing applications for assistance, referring and overseeing cases and providing volunteer attorneys with supportive services.

American Bar Association: Young Lawyers Division - Disaster Legal Services Program

COVID-19 Legal Assistance: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-rhode-island-residents-in-need-navigate-covid/?region=RI

Help Rhode Island Residents in Need Navigate COVID-19 Legal Issues

As a result of conditions related to COVID-19, many Rhode Island Residents will be forced to address urgent legal issues involving unemployment insurance, housing, small business claims, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and consumer problems, among others.

Sign up for this opportunity to help individuals in need of general legal assistance in Rhode Island through the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program, and you’ll be notified as cases become available. Please indicate which areas of law are most relevant and/or interesting to you.

American Bar Association: Military Pro Bono Project https://www.militaryprobono.org/probono/item.3210-Pro_Bono_Case_Opportunities_for_Volunteer_Attorneys

Volunteer: Contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org

The mission of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project—an access-to-justice initiative in collaboration with the U.S. military—is to provide a centralized system for connecting civil legal case referrals from military legal assistance offices with private-sector volunteer lawyers who provide pro bono legal help to service members and their families.

If you are interested in helping with any of the listed cases, please contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org. You will then be provided with conflict check information and, if you have no conflicts, further information about the case. To stay updated about case opportunities in your area, sign up!

Rhode Island Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Program

https://www.helprilaw.org/node/80/pro-bono-volunteer-law-program

https://ribar.com/page.aspx?id=127

Volunteer: Contact: John H. Ellis, Volunteer Lawyer Program Coordinator

Tel: (401) 421-7758 ext.103

jellis@ribar.com

Rhode Island Bar Association

115 Cedar Street

Providence, RI 02903

The Rhode Island Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Program/Pro Bono Project provides services to low-income clients, ranging from giving advice and counsel to writing a letter on behalf of a client to actual representation in court. 

The Rhode Island Bar Association offers a broad range of support including: free CLE training programs and materials, free malpractice insurance to cover most pro bono cases, reimbursement for litigation costs and other out-of-pocket expenses with prior approval, and access to mentor attorneys.

VLP, funded through a grant from Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc. and the Rhode Island Bar Foundation, provides pro bono legal services to qualified low-income Rhode Islanders. Participating attorneys provide legal assistance, at no charge. The client’s income must qualify under federally regulated guidelines to receive pro bono assistance, and the case must fall under one of the areas of law handled by the VLP.  

VLP handles non-criminal civil cases, including the following areas:

• Consumer -Housing/Landlord/ Tenant
• Benefits -Collections
• Bankruptcy -Guardianship
• Special Education -Employment
• License Registry -Family Law
• Tort Defenses -Wills

Pro Bono Cases of the Month reflect one or more of the many requests for help from clients in desperate need through the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Program (VLP), Elderly Program or U.S. Armed Forces Legal Services Project.

Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless

https://www.rihomeless.org/

Volunteer: https://www.rihomeless.org/volunteer-signup

1070 Main Street

Pawtucket, RI 02860

Tel: (401) 721-5685

info@rihomeless.org

The objective of the Homeless Legal Clinic (HLC) is to serve in an outreach capacity by seeking out homeless and at risk clients at Rhode Island shelters. The HLC can provide direct legal services to those who cannot afford an attorney or may be unable to travel to a legal assistance office. The Rhode Island Volunteer Lawyer Program (VLP) continues to work closely with the clinic program assisting with recruitment and training, and provides insurance and recognition to clinic attorneys who are also members of the VLP.

Rhode Island Legal Services

http://www.rils.org/

Volunteer: Email Nicole Carrara, Executive Assistant at ncarrara@rils.org

56 Pine Street 4th Floor
Providence, RI 02903

Phone: (401) 274-2652

Rhode Island Legal Services provides high quality legal assistance and representation to low-income individuals and eligible client groups for the purpose of improving their economic condition and overall wellbeing by protecting and enforcing legal rights, stabilizing the family unit and communities where clients live, promoting self reliance, ending domestic violence, preventing homelessness, affording dignity to all people, and reaching out to groups with added burdens on their ability to access the civil justice system. Programs and services include:

Public Benefits Group

Housing Law Center

Foreclosure Prevention Project

Low Income Taxpayer Clinic

Family Preservation Project

Safe Family Project

Consumer Debt Group

Responsible Parent Project

Employment Opportunity Legal Corps

Volunteer Lawyer Program

Holistic Legal Assistance Network

Elder Protection Project

Rhode Island Legal Services encourages and supports the efforts of Rhode Island attorneys to provide pro bono assistance to low income and elderly Rhode Islanders through the Volunteer Lawyer Program, and effort funded by Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc. and the RI Bar Foundation. The Volunteer Lawyer Project staff may be contacted at (401) 421-7758.

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island – Civil Pro Bono Program 

https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/civil-pro-bono-program

Volunteer: Contact Michael Simoncelli at (401) 752-7221 or ProBono@rid.uscourts.gov(link sends e-mail)

On July 1, 2014, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island adopted a Plan for Pro Bono Representation in Civil Cases to provide representation to indigent defendants in a limited number of civil cases each year.

Panel participation offers a unique opportunity to gain experience in civil litigation in federal court while providing a valuable community service. Additionally, counsel appointed under this Plan may apply for reimbursement to defray certain litigation expenses in accordance with the Guidelines for Civil Pro Bono Attorneys.

Attorneys seeking to join the Court’s Civil Pro Bono Panel should review the following documents before submitting an application to join the panel:

Letter from Chief Judge Smith Seeking Applications for Civil Pro BonoPanel

Plan for Pro Bono Representation in Civil Cases

Civil Pro Bono Panel Application

Guidelines for Civil Pro Bono Attorneys

ACLU of Vermont

https://www.acluvt.org/

Volunteer: Fill out online form https://action.aclu.org/webform/vt_volunteer_signup

Contact: mminter@acluvt.org

 info@acluvt.org 

Phone: (802) 223-6304

As an ACLU of Vermont volunteer, you'll receive monthly updates with information about their needs that month, and choose the activities you are most excited to help with, based on how much time you can give. Tasks vary from month to month and there are no regular hours you must commit to.

Volunteers must attend an orientation to learn more about the ACLU of Vermont's advocacy and community work and responsibilities when representing the ACLU at public events.

AIDS Project of Southern Vermont

http://www.aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org/who-we-are/

Volunteer: Email apsv@sover.net for information

15 Grove Street
PO Box 1486
Brattleboro, VT 05302

Phone: (802) 254-8263

324 Main Street
PO Box 4264
Bennington, VT 05201

Phone: (802) 447-8007

The AIDS Project of Southern Vermont is a regional AIDS service organization providing direct services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and HIV prevention services to those at most risk in Windham, Bennington, and southern Windsor counties.

Their mission is to provide direct services to those whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS, to offer education to help prevent its spread, and to promote understanding within the communities served.

Volunteers can donate time on a variety of issues including legal issues.

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers Program – New Hampshire (Virtual Advice Clinic)

https://vt.freelegalanswers.org/

Volunteer:

https://vt.freelegalanswers.org/Attorneys/Account/Agreement

Vermont Virtual Legal Advice Clinic - Answer Questions from Home

Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic. Qualifying users post their civil legal question to their state's website. Users will then be emailed when their question receives a response. Attorney volunteers, who must be authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. Volunteer attorneys will not answer criminal law questions.

You can register as a volunteer and watch a brief video training before getting started.

American Bar Association: Young Lawyers Division - Disaster Legal Services Program

COVID-19 Legal Assistance: https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/opportunities/help-vermonters-in-need-navigate-covid-19-legal-is/?region=VT

Help Vermonters in Need Navigate COVID-19 Legal Issues

As a result of conditions related to COVID-19, many Vermonters will be forced to address urgent legal issues involving unemployment insurance, housing, small business claims, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and consumer problems, among others.

Sign up for this opportunity to help individuals in need of general legal assistance in Vermont through the ABA YLD Disaster Legal Services Program, and you’ll be notified as cases become available. Please indicate which areas of law are most relevant and/or interesting to you.

American Bar Association: Military Pro Bono Project https://www.militaryprobono.org/probono/item.3210-Pro_Bono_Case_Opportunities_for_Volunteer_Attorneys

Volunteer: Contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org

The mission of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project—an access-to-justice initiative in collaboration with the U.S. military—is to provide a centralized system for connecting civil legal case referrals from military legal assistance offices with private-sector volunteer lawyers who provide pro bono legal help to service members and their families.

If you are interested in helping with any of the listed cases, please contact the Military Pro Bono Coordinator, Rachael Derham, at rachael.derham@americanbar.org. You will then be provided with conflict check information and, if you have no conflicts, further information about the case. To stay updated about case opportunities in your area, sign up!

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity – Fair Housing Project

https://www.cvoeo.org/?fuseaction=dep_intro&dept_id=1

Jess Hyman, Fair Housing Project Director, jhyman@cvoeo.org

Phone: (802) 660-3456 X 106

255 South Champlain St., Suite 9
Burlington, VT 05401

General e-mail to the Fair Housing Project (FHP): fhp@cvoeo.org

The Fair Housing Project works to protect and expand the fair housing legal rights of classes of people traditionally subjected to housing discrimination and exclusion. As part of that mission, they support state and municipal efforts to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing in order to expand the inclusiveness of housing opportunities in Vermont.

Community Justice Network of Vermont

http://cjnvt.org/

Volunteer: Find closest center http://cjnvt.org/center/

Contact: Martha McLafferty at the Hartford Community Restorative Justice Center

mmclafferty@hartfordjusticecenter.org

(802) 291-7173

The Community Justice Centers throughout of Vermont gather together as Community Justice Center directors who share a belief in the importance and efficacy of restorative responses to conflict and crime as an alternative to traditional criminal prosecution, punishment, and retribution. The mission is to broaden and strengthen Vermont’s restorative practices through leadership, advocacy, education, and partnerships.

Vermont’s Community Justice Centers are always in need of volunteers who wish to contribute their time and talents to the well-being of their local communities.  

Volunteers include victim liaisons, and restorative justice panel members.

Disability Rights Vermont

http://www.disabilityrightsvt.org/

Volunteer: Contact info@disabilityrightsvt.org

Disability Rights Vermont
141 Main Street / Suite 7
Montpelier, VT 05602
Phone: (802) 229-1355

Disability Rights Vermont, Inc. (DRVT) is part of the National Protection and Advocacy system. This national system was created by Congress in response to concerns that States were not doing enough to protect people with disabilities against abuse, neglect and serious rights violations. The Congress created the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system to increase scrutiny and available resources in order to improve conditions for people with disabilities.

Disability Rights Vermont’s work includes the following programs:

• Protection and Advocacy for the Developmentally Disabled (PADD)
• Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI)
• Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR)
• Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT)
• Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI)
• Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)
• Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA)
• Mental Health Ombudsman Project
• Crime Victim Services
• Vermont Communication Support Project (VCSP)

Environmental Court Pro Bono Project

https://www.vtbar.org

Vermont Superior Court

Environmental Division

2418 Airport Road

Barre, VT 05641

Contact: Mary Ashcroft, VBA Pro Bono Coordinator

Tel: (800) 223-2020

mashcroft@vtbar.org

Environmental Court Pro Bono Project links attorneys with an interest and/or experience in environmental law with low income clients in Vermont Environmental Court.

Have Justice - Will Travel

http://www.havejusticewilltravel.org/

Contact: info@havejusticewilltravel.org

9580 Vermont Route 113
Vershire, Vermont 05079

Phone: (802) 685-7809

The mission of Have Justice - Will Travel, Inc. (HJWT) is to end the generational cycle of abuse in rural families by bridging the legal, cultural, geographical, psychological, and economic gaps that exist for victims of domestic abuse. HJWT provides legal and supportive services for battered, low-income women and their children.

Legal Services:

• Relief from Abuse
• Divorce/Parentage
• Custody/Visitation
• Child Support
• Landlord/Tenant
• Creditors

Military Family Law Project

https://www.vtbar.org

Vermont Bar Association

35-37 Court Street

PO Box 100

Montpelier, VT 05601-0100

Contact: Mary Ashcroft, VBA Pro Bono Coordinator

Tel: (800) 223-2020

mashcroft@vtbar.org

Military Family Law Project assists deploying Vermont service members and their families in family law issues in Vermont courts.  A free training video is available from the VBA.

Vermont Network

https://vtnetwork.org/

Contact: info@vtnetwork.org

Vermont Network Against
Domestic and Sexual Violence
P.O. Box 405 Montpelier, VT 05601

Phone: (802) 223-1302
 

The Vermont Network is Vermont’s leading voice on domestic and sexual violence. The Network is a statewide non-profit 501c3 membership organization which was founded in 1986. Members are 15 independent, non-profit organizations which provide domestic and sexual violence advocacy to survivors of violence in Vermont.

The Network does policy and advocacy work in areas such as justice reform & transforming responses to marginalized survivors; economic justice & prevention; creating safer communities; & support for critical services.

Vermont Volunteer Lawyers Project (VVLP)

https://legalservicesvt.org/VVLP

Volunteer: Please fill out online form https://legalservicesvt.org/vvlp-volunteer-form

Contact: Margaret Frye,
Managing Attorney,
(802) 863-7153

Legal Services Vermont

274 North Winooski Avenue

Burlington, VT 05402

The VVLP is a cooperative effort of The Vermont Bar Association and Legal Services Vermont. The VVLP is the only organized pro bono project in the state of Vermont. As volunteers with the VVLP, each attorney is asked to give some time to help low-income Vermonters, but they give much more. They give dignity by reaching out and lending a helping hand; they give power to those in fear that fight poverty every day; they give hope where despair is the only reality.

Whether you give one or 100 hours of your time, your participation in the VVLP makes a significant difference in people's lives. By responding to the pleas for help and providing equal access to justice, each of you gives back to and strengthens your community. 

COVID-19 Pandemic Information

VVLP is working to identify urgent legal needs Vermonters have or will develop as a result of the pandemic. There is already a disproportionate impact for clients and VVLP needs volunteers more than ever. If you have ideas or want to help, please contact Maggie Frye or fill out the volunteer form to get involved.  

Their work involves:

• representing clients
• providing legal information and advice, forms and other helpful tools
• testifying before the legislature or administrative committees and boards about how laws or rules impact Vermonters everyday
• advocating for new protections or the enforcement of those that already exist, and
• identifying and working to correct systemic problems that adversely affect vulnerable people

There are a number of legal clinics and projects around Vermont; however the in-person clinics are not happening during the COVID-19 crisis.  You can check back for more information:

https://legalservicesvt.org/get-help