Volunteer Opportunities for Lawyers
First, review the volunteer opportunities and select one to three areas of interest to you.
Please note:
Our areas of immediate need are: bankruptcy, criminal expungement, family, letters to creditors, real estate, and our Linea Legal Latina program (Spanish language skills needed).
Second, complete a Volunteer Attorney Application Form
Third, call our VLN Admin Line (612-752-6655) with some specific opportunities in mind and ask to speak to the person who handles those opportunities.
Fourth, come to one of our regularly-scheduled New Volunteer Orientations (check our event calendar to see when the next one is)
Once your volunteer application is submitted, you may start to volunteer!
If you are interested in volunteering as an interpreter, click here.
Volunteer Opportunities for Attorneys
Other Volunteer Opportunities
For most up-to-date listings for other volunteer opportunities, such as paralegals, interpreters, law students, office assistants, writers, etc., please see our postings on VolunteerMatch.org)
Volunteer Opportunities for Lawyers
Admin Law
- Phone advice: Typically, one to three clients are scheduled for a phone shift. We provide you with information regarding the client's case, including any pertinent paperwork. You then call the clients and provide legal advice or brief services (e.g., making a phone call on their behalf). If the client's case has merit, you let us know and, if the client is otherwise eligible, we look for an attorney to provide full reprsentation services.
- Full representation: issues include licensing.unemployment compensation.
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Bankruptcy - immediate openings for experienced attorneys
- Phone advice and screening: Typically, three to five clients are scheduled for a phone shift. We provide you with information regarding the client's case, including any pertinent paperwork. You then call the clients and provide legal advice and also determine whether they meet the criteria for a full bankruptcy. If they are eligible for full representation services, we look for an attorney to provide that service.
- Full representation: represent low-income clients in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy proceedings. (For attorneys who request it, we will obtain the client's paperwork in advance.
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Civil
- In person legal advice (several years of experience in civil law preferred): You are scheduled for a two-hour shift at the Legal Access Point clinic, where most walk-in clients have civil issues. When possible, you also provide brief service (e.g., make a phone call or write a letter for the client). We have assistants at the clinic to get initial data from the clients, find resources for you, and (when appropriate) help the client follow your advice.
- In person one-on-one workshops: You are scheduled for a one-hour shift at our Consumer Rights Service, where you work one-on-one with a client to complete their court forms (Answers, Garnishment Exemptions, Motions to Vacate, etc). A paralegal or law student assists you in completing the forms (much of which is prepared in advance).
- Screening cases for merit (several years of experience in civil law preferred): we provide you with information about civil cases and you let our staff know whether the case has enough merit to warrant finding a volunteer attorney to assist the person.
- Full representation: After a case has been determined to have merit, you would represent the client in civil court. Common issues include: respondent in collection lawsuits; respondent in debt buyer lawsuits; garnishment defense actions; motions to vacate default judgments.
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Criminal expungement - immediate openings
- In person one-on-one workshops: You are scheduled for a shift at which you work one-on-one with a client to complete their court forms (Petition to Expunge Criminal Records). A paralegal or law student assists you in completing the forms (much of which may be prepared in advance).
- Screening cases for merit (several years of experience preferred): we provide you with information about civil cases and you let our staff know whether the case has enough merit to warrant finding a volunteer attorney to assist the person.
- Full representation: After a case has been determined to have merit, you would represent the client in civil court. Common issues include: respondent in collection lawsuits; respondent in debt buyer lawsuits; garnishment defense actions; motions to vacate default judgments.
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Debtor-Creditor - immediate openings
- Write letters to a client's creditors to stop them from harassing the client - provides clients with immediate relief!
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Employment
- Phone advice: Typically, three to six clients are scheduled for a phone shift. We provide you with information regarding the client's case, including any pertinent paperwork. You then call the clients and provide legal advice or brief services (e.g., making a phone call on their behalf). If the client's case has merit, you let us know and, if the client is otherwise eligible, we look for an attorney to provide full reprsentation services.
- Full representation: issues include back pay, wrongful discharge, employee benefits issues.
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Family - immediate openings for experienced attorneys
- Phone advice: Typically, one to three clients are scheduled for a phone shift. We provide you with information regarding the client's case, including any pertinent paperwork. You then call the clients and provide legal advice or brief services (e.g., making a phone call on their behalf). If the client's case has merit, you let us know and, if the client is otherwise eligible, we look for an attorney to provide full reprsentation services.
- In person legal advice (several years of experience in family law preferred): You are scheduled for a two-hour shift at the Family Law Clinic. We have assistants at the clinic to get initial data from the clients, find resources for you, and (when appropriate) help the client follow your advice.
- Screening cases for merit (several years of experience in family law preferred): we provide you with information about civil cases and you let our staff know whether the case has enough merit to warrant finding a volunteer attorney to assist the person on a full rep basis.
- Full representation: issues include simple divorce (no children), divorces with children, third party custody.
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Housing
- In person legal advice: You are scheduled for a two-hour shift at the Housing Court Project to meet with clients before they attend their court hearing that day. We have assistants at the clinic to get initial data from the clients, find resources for you, and (when appropriate) help the client follow your advice. You may, if you choose, make an appearance on behalf of the client.
- Full representation: unlawful detainers, rent escrow.
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Real Estate - immediate openings for experienced attorneys
- In person legal advice (several years of experience in real estate law preferred): You are scheduled for a one-hour shift at the Real Estate Clinic (located at the Urban League).
- Full representation: mortgage foreclosure issues; equity stripping; predatory lending.
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Miscellaneous
- Debtor-creditor: phone advice
- Criminal Expungements: brief service, full representation
- Federal Pro Se: merit screening, full representation
- Tax: phone advice, full representation
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Other Volunteer Opportunities
Interpreters
Volunteer Interpreter Application Form
Resources for interpreters provided by the Minnesota courts.
Code of Professional Responsibility for Interpreters
Tips for Attorneys Working with Interpreters (Print and give to your attorneys to help them know how to best work with you!)
Working as an Interpreter at VLN
Self-Assessment Tool
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Law Students
Law students manage many of our legal advice clinics and often work directly with clients to help with substantive matters. Please check out our postings with the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) and contact your law school's MJF staff attorney for a referral.
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Paralegals
Please check our opportunities on Volunteer Match for the most up-to-date information.
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Research Projects
Attorney Resources and Research Projects: VLN has opportunities for volunteers interested in developing resoruces. For more information, please see our Resources and Research Project.
Office Assistants
If you would enjoy helping us with reception, filing, running errands, typing - please let us know!
