In the midst of our 25th year as the nonprofit pro bono program sponsored by the Sacramento County Bar Association, the Voluntary Legal Services Program is continuing to provide pro bono legal services to over 3000 low income clients of the Sacramento area annually. As always, we are grateful for the attorney volunteers and supporters who selflessly donate their time, expertise and financial support to assure that those people who cannot afford the assistance of an attorney are able to resolve their legal problems.

Our thanks also go to the Sacramento area attorneys who serve on our Advisory Committee, overseeing the work we do and assisting us with fundraising goals. We are pleased to announce that our new Chairperson for the VLSP Advisory Committee is J. Kevin Mendricks of the Family Law Center, and our new Vice-Chair/Treasurer is Mark Eggleston, Staff Attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal.

As we continue to expand our services in the community, we want to put out a call for more volunteers to join us. We are often asked what the areas of greatest need are for volunteers. They are as follows:

1. Debt Collection Defense and Bankruptcy Law: Our Debt Collection Defense and Bankruptcy Clinics, held on Tuesday evenings at the VLSP offices, is continually overwhelmed with clients who need assistance with these matters. The Clinic helps clients negotiate payment plans with creditors, prepares Answers to debt collection and personal injury/property damage lawsuits, and advises clients on auto repossession issues and the appropriateness of filing for bankruptcy. We also assist eligible clients in filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The Clinic clients continue to represent themselves in pro per, unless VLSP staff takes a particularly worthy case out of the Clinic to assign it to a volunteer. Clinic volunteers do not become attorneys of record and have no continuing obligation to assist the clients after the Clinic is over. This makes the Clinic a good opportunity for those volunteers with very limited time or whose firms or employers do not allow them to do pro bono work during the typical work day hours. Just as a reminder, VLSP provides malpractice insurance for the pro bono work our volunteers do with us.

You do not need extensive experience in these areas of law to volunteer at the Debt Collection portion of the Tuesday night Clinic. Many of the legal issues addressed at this Clinic are basic ones and the information needed to assist clients can be picked up quickly. Further, VLSP offers periodic trainings in these areas of law to prepare volunteers to help at the Clinic.

As to the Bankruptcy portion of the Clinic, we are desperate for attorneys with experience/training in bankruptcy law to assist our clients. As our clients are quite low income, they do not have difficulty qualifying for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy under the new laws.

VLSP has re-tooled the Bankruptcy portion of the Tuesday night Clinic to be in compliance with the new bankruptcy laws. We have arrangements made with agencies that offer the pre-filing and post-filing credit counseling required by the new law. These agencies provide the counseling for our low income clients pro bono, with the trainings taking place in the VLSP offices.

2. Family Law (dissolution, custody, support): As you can imagine, the demand for family law assistance is overwhelming. Because we have a very limited number of attorney volunteers who have experience in family law, however, we can only assist a small number of clients with these problems. We do have a number of newer attorneys who would like to take on a family law case, but they need the guidance of an experienced mentor attorney through the case. If you are an attorney with experience in family law who would be willing to take on a case (we try to only take in new cases and not those who have been pending for a long time), or would be willing to mentor a newer attorney, we would love to hear from you.

3. Small probate estate matters: One of VLSP's pro per clinics is held on Thursdays and Fridays at the Family Relations Courthouse and provides assistance with guardianships and conservatorships of the person and small estate advice matters. At that Clinic, called the "Probate Clinic", we are in particular need of experienced attorneys who can provide advice to low income clients who have small probate matters. Again, you need not appear of record in the case or take on the case after you leave the Clinic. If there is a client at the Clinic that needs further assistance, the Clinic volunteer can refer that client to our main office so that the matter can be assigned out to a volunteer.

The Small Estate Advice Clinics are scheduled at 3:00 pm on Clinic days, so if you have a couple of hours to spare on a Thursday or Friday, we'd love to hear from you.

4. A New Opportunity for Volunteers: In 2006, VLSP also has a new opportunity for volunteers to provide pro bono assistance. Through a contract with the Sacramento County Courts, some time this summer VLSP will open a Self-Help Center at the downtown courthouse. The Self-Help Center is designed to help provide information and assistance to the high number of self-represented litigants that are crowding our court calendars.

The Self-Help Center will provide several levels of assistance to clients who need help and information concerning a variety of general civil legal matters. Many clients will receive brochures and self-help packets. Workshops with general information about a variety of civil legal matters will be offered. For those who are low income and cannot afford the assistance of an attorney, some direct legal assistance will be provided. We will not provide help with criminal law or family law at this new Self-Help Center.

As plans for the Self-Help Center are developed, more information will be available about volunteer opportunities on VLSP's web site: www.vlsp.org. If you are interested in teaching a workshop on your area of expertise at the Self-Help Center, or would like to provide some direct legal assistance to low income clients who will continue to represent themselves in pro per thereafter, or would like to write materials for distribution to self-represented litigants, we'd love to hear from you.

May / June 2006