The Voluntary Legal Services Program (VLSP) has been offering legal guidance to low-income clients in the Sacramento community for over twenty years. As a volunteer-driven organization, VLSP relies on the efforts of area attorneys, paralegals, legal secretaries and law students to keep going. That means that VSLP needs you! Maybe you've thought of volunteering but weren't sure you had the time, or perhaps you just didn't know how to go about it. Here's a list of five ways you can help VLSP--and rest assured, it doesn't take a huge time commitment to make a huge difference.

1) Volunteer to be a mentor.
Many of VLSP's attorneys are newly licensed, and they come to VLSP to gain experience. It's important that they have more experienced attorneys to turn to when they have questions. Mentors make themselves available to answer questions and look over motions and letters when VLSP attorneys are working on cases. Right now, VLSP has a particular need for mentors with knowledge of family law, social security law, and other public benefit laws.

2) Offer to teach a training session.
Each year VLSP schedules a number of training sessions in particular areas of law. Participants receive MCLE credits, and most sessions last about three hours. If you are an expert in family law, bankruptcy law, probate law or another area of law, consider spending a few hours teaching other lawyers what you know. Or volunteer to revise VLSP's training materials and handouts, and help others teach better training sessions.

3) Volunteer for a pro per clinic.
You're not required to offer full representation for a case. Come spend two to four hours advising clients in one of VLSP's many pro per clinics. VLSP provides insurance and everything else you need, and you'll feel great knowing you've lessened a client's anxiety about the legal system. VLSP particularly needs volunteers with knowledge of debt, bankruptcy, guardianship and family law.

4) Take a case.
Some clients do have cases complex enough to require full representation by an attorney. If you think you can take even one case a year, VLSP would love to hear from you. Attorneys who are able to take debt collection defense cases or probate cases or write wills and durable powers of attorney for healthcare are especially needed.

5) Make a donation.
Most donations help to support VLSP's general operating expenses. The tight economy puts a strain on funding, and now one of VLSP's primary funding sources--the Interest on Lawyer's Trust Fund Account (IOLTA)--is threatened with extinction. The money you give is always valuable, but it is particularly important now. Writing a check takes no time, and you can feel good knowing that you've made a critical contribution to the people in your community. Don't forget--any amount helps, and your donation is tax deductible.

Now that you know what's needed, become a part of VLSP's efforts! You can meet great people, teach what you know, learn something new and be of service to people in your community. Every contribution makes a difference. For more information, call Vicki Jacobs, Managing Attorney of VLSP, at (916) 551-2162.

Northern California Collection Services, Inc.