VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT OF THE BOSTON BAR ASSOCIATION INC
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Mission Statement
The mission of the Volunteer lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association is to increase access to justice by delivering high quality pro bono civil legal services to eligible clients in the Greater Boston area.
About This Cause
Founded in 1977 as a pilot project of the Boston Bar Association, VLP was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1983. We maximize accessibility to low-income clients through frequent virtual and on-site legal clinics at courthouses and community organizations and by providing multi-faceted intake, advice and referral service through a legal helpline--the Eastern Region Legal Intake (ERLI)--all provided free of charge. Our services cover a broad range of civil legal areas including housing, family law, debt collection defense, bankruptcy, wills, unemployment benefits, and civil appeals. Whether they are tenants fighting evictions or unemployed and trying to secure government benefits, low-income residents in Greater Boston face tremendous barriers to accessing the legal system successfully due to limited English proficiency or education, mental health issues and other disabilities, not understanding their legal rights or recognizing legal issues as such, and fear of the cost of legal assistance. VLP serves low-income residents of Greater Boston who would benefit from legal assistance but cannot afford it. Approximately 80% of VLP clients have incomes that do not even reach 150% of the poverty level. We ensure that language is never a barrier to accessing our services by hiring multilingual staff and outside interpreters, who last year served clients in 40 languages and dialects other than English. VLP has been recognized as one of the most successful and innovative models for pro bono representation locally and nationally. Our recruitment, training, and retention of exceptional pro bono attorneys, paralegals, and law students is what allows us to leverage a network of 1,500 volunteers to provide information and assistance to approximately 8,000 low-income people each year. Our volunteers represent all segments of the legal community (e.g. small, medium and large firms; solo practitioners; in-house counsel, and government attorneys). For nearly four decades, VLP has worked to remove barriers to justice for under-represented, vulnerable individuals. We hope to continue to meet the growing need for pro bono legal services in Boston and would appreciate your support!