Pro Bono Matters

BAY AREA VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROGRAM: 

Northwest (Pasco and North Pinellas County)

About Us:

Bay Area Legal Services’ Volunteer Lawyers Program--Northwest Office (“VLP—NW”) has served North Pinellas and Pasco Counties since January 2014. Modeled after the original VLP in Hillsborough County, VLP—NW seeks to connect volunteer attorneys with members of our community who are living at or below 125% of the federal poverty limit whose need for assistance with a legal issue is unmet by other services or organizations. VLP—NW collaborates with voluntary bar organizations, law firms, the judiciary and many other organizations to offer a wide array of opportunities to provide pro bono assistance. We are well situated in the middle of our service area, in downtown Clearwater, in the Clearwater Bar Association building.

 Pro Bono Opportunities for Pinellas and Pasco County Attorneys:

There are a variety of pro bono opportunities available, either in person or virtually. Whether you are a new or seasoned attorney, we can assist you with choosing a volunteer opportunity that suits your interests, skills and availability. If you would like to learn more about our pro bono efforts, we would love to hear from you! Contact Lynda Barack at lbarack@bals.org.

Case Referral Panel

Accept civil case referrals for extended consultation up to full representation in those areas of the law that you have designated, on your own timetable. Low-income clients are screened for eligibility and cases are reviewed for legal merit prior to referral. To see a current list of available pro bono cases, please visit https://www.floridaprobono.org/pb-matters/ and search by county, legal issue, or keyword.

Client Intake

Interview and advise eligible clients at various intake locations around the community. No experience is necessary. New volunteers can shadow experienced attorneys. Training provided.

 
Clinics

Throughout the year, VLP—NW collaborates with community partners to offer walk in legal clinics on a variety of issues, including Advance Directives, Family Forms, and Sealing and Expungement. We will advertise these opportunities and provide any necessary training. This is a great way to do a lot of good in one day or afternoon!

Outreach/Education

Passionate about a specific legal issue? Use that passion and knowledge to educate other attorneys via CLEs. Host a legal information session to educate the public. This can be done virtually as well.

Mentor Panel

Become a mentor; we need your expertise! Attorneys with specialized expertise will impart their wisdom to less experienced volunteer attorneys handling pro bono cases or BALS staff attorneys.

Law Firm Pro Bono Collaboration

Is your firm looking for a pro bono project? If so, we would love to join forces and make it happen!

Pro Bono Attorney Benefits:

Volunteer attorneys who participate in a BAVLP-NW pro bono project receive some great benefits, including:

• The opportunity to expand your legal expertise or develop new legal skills
• Training, mentoring, and supervision for many projects
• Assisting clients with meritorious claims who have been pre-screened for eligibility
• Reimbursement for litigation costs and other case-related expenses
• Participation in projects that have been exclusively developed to address the legal needs of our community
• CLE credit for some training
• The opportunity to network within the legal community
• Liability insurance coverage for VLP-NW projects
• An accounting of your pro bono hours for reporting to the Florida Bar
• Acknowledgement and recognition among your peers and the community
• BUT MOST IMPORTANT, the satisfaction of knowing you helped someone in need

     Contact Us:

Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program:

       800 Drew Street, Clearwater, FL 33755

           For additional information

Tel: 1.800.625.2257 / Email: LBarack@BALS.org

                                https://bals.org/volunteer