Stand Up and Be Counted ...
Update Your Volunteer Records with VLSP
By Vicki Jacobs, Managing Attorney
Photo by Heather Cline Hoganson

The Voluntary Legal Services Program, your local pro bono organization, has started some overdue spring cleaning and needs your help. If you are a volunteer with VLSP, and are interested in remaining so, we would greatly appreciate if you would complete a new volunteer application to update our records.

For 23 years, VLSP has been maintaining a database of our volunteers. This database not only includes basic contact information with address and phone numbers, but also includes the practice areas in which each volunteer has indicated that he or she will accept a pro bono case. In addition, our volunteer applications indicate which "pro per" advice clinics with which our volunteers are willing to help. During the last couple of years of reorganization at VLSP, we have found that our database information is out-of-date, making our referral of cases less efficient than we would like. For example, we don't want to call volunteers about case referrals in areas of law that the volunteer is no longer interested in practicing. We would rather refer cases in the areas of law in which you might take a pro bono case.

By that same token, if you are no longer able to do pro bono work with VLSP for any reason, we would appreciate hearing from you, as well. We do not want to disturb you with unnecessary telephone calls.

The more of our volunteers who update their records, the more accurate VLSP's volunteer database will be. This will allow us to assess where we can direct our volunteer recruitment efforts. In addition, we can focus our efforts on matching client referrals to the areas of law in which our volunteers wish to provide services.

VLSP launched a new and comprehensive website in September 2003. You are encouraged to visit that website to find out more about our program and the work we do. Please check us out at www.vlsp.org. Our website includes an on-line application. There is a link to the application on the home page. If you have already completed an on-line application with VLSP, you can update your records with us at any time by going to the web site, clicking on "volunteer" in the menu, and then clicking on "update my information". If you move your office, change a phone number or email address, or want to change the areas of law you want to help our clients with, you can easily make those changes on the website.

With over 600 active attorney volunteers in our database, the job of updating our records is large and we could use your help. If you would like to remain a volunteer, we would greatly appreciate if you would fill out a new application, either online at www.vlsp.org or by calling Denise Carroll, Assistant Program Manager for VLSP, at (916) 551-2153 and requesting that a paper application be mailed to you. You can also email us at vlsp@vlsp.org to request that an application be mailed to you. If you want to be removed from our active volunteer list, please call Denise or email us and let us know. We will not remove you from our list until you notify us that you wish to be removed.

VLSP is grateful for the ongoing support of our many volunteers. With everyone's help, we can make the referral of cases to our volunteers more efficient. Thanks for your help and support.