Top Bar — Vietnamese

    • Thông dịch viên đã cung cấp.
    • Tất cả các thông tin liên lạc được bảo mật.
    • Dịch vụ là miễn phí.

Top Bar — Farsi

    • مترجمان ارائه شده است
    • همه ارتباطات محرمانه هستند.
    • خدمات رایگان هستند.

Top Bar — Arabic

    • المترجمون المقدمة.
    • جميع الاتصالات سرية.
    • الخدمات مجانية.

Top Bar — Bosnian

    • Prevodioci su obezbjedjeni.
    • Razgovori se drze u tajnosti.
    • Sve nase usluge su besplatne.

Top Bar — Spanish

    • Intérpretes disponible.
    • Todas las comunicaciones son confidenciales.
    • Los servicios son gratuitos.
800.444.0514
  • Interpreters provided.
  • All communications are confidential.
  • Services are Free.

Volunteer Lawyers Program

The Volunteer Lawyers Program provides free civil legal services for those who cannot afford an attorney to help them with legal matters.

Our impact on the community is only made possible by our support from the community.

More than ten percent of all clients served with direct case work in 2021 were served by volunteer attorneys, and many more were served through community clinics and legal advice sessions. We remain committed not only to critical direct client services on cases, but also administrative matters like unemployment appeals and criminal expungements.

The Volunteer Lawyers Program and the Community Economic Development Programs (Microenterprise and Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative) continue to offer legal advice clinics and direct client services.

Volunteers are the backbone of our mission to provide equal access to justice, and we thank all our volunteers – lawyers, social workers, board members, administrative support and event committee and volunteers too.

Learn more about the importance of Pro Bono, and how it can help you too, with this video from attorney Amy Rebecca Johnson.

Amy, a long-standing Legal Services volunteer, was the 2022 recipient of the F. Wm. McCalpin Pro Bono Award at the For The Common Good event.

Yes! I would like to volunteer to provide high-quality legal services and equal access to civil justice to low-income clients.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s Volunteer Lawyers Program has always worked collaboratively with other providers to enhance pro bono service in our community. 

We are excited to be an initial partner in the launch of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Pro Bono Matters platform, which adds to the existing volunteer lawyers opportunities and will serve even more clients needing help with the assistance of volunteer attorneys.

CLICK HERE to check out Pro Bono Matters.

Volunteer Lawyers help “level the field” by providing access to justice for Legal Services’ clients. Areas of law include:

  • Guardianships – Child and disabled adult.
  • Alternatives to Guardianships – Temporary transfers of custody and relative caregiver affidavits.
  • Estate Planning – Drafting wills, powers of attorney, advanced directives and beneficiary deeds.
  • Expungements – Work with clients to resolve old, non-violent criminal records to facilitate job and housing security.
  • Family Law – Representation of domestic violence survivors in orders of protection, divorces, paternity & custody actions.
  • Housing/Tenant Representation – Associate circuit court representation and negotiations in residential tenant eviction actions.
  • Immigration – Naturalizations and permanent resident status applications.
  • Unemployment matters – Preliminary appeals from denials of Missouri unemployment benefits and work with clients facing both state and federal over-payment claims.
  • Consumer Actions – Collection of judgments on behalf of low-income individuals (ie. tenants seeking to recoup judgments against landlords).
  • Community Economic Development – Microenterprise Program and Vacant Property Initiative – helping low-income businesses and non-profits with legal matters.

Join the VLP Team and help in one of the following ways:

REPRESENT: Provide legal representation for clients.
COMMUNITY CLINICS: Provide legal information to individuals.
EDUCATE/TRAIN: Present legal information to community organizations and/or CLEs for other volunteers.
MENTOR: Provide guidance by supporting another volunteer’s professional development.
FUNDING: Support Legal Services by making a donation to support VLP.


Counties Served

  • Franklin County
  • Jefferson County
  • Lincoln County
  • St. Charles County
  • St. Louis City
  • St. Louis County
  • Warren County

The Volunteer Lawyers Program Staff

Jim Guest, Director, Attorney
Jennifer Darrough, Senior Paralegal
Mary Dyson, Senior Paralegal
Taylor Thomas, Social Work Advocate

CONTACT US AT:
vlp@lsem.org
314.534.4200 
800.444.0514

 

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Legal Services of Eastern Missoui: Action.Justice.Hope.

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