Our local legal services agencies are deeply grateful for the far-reaching and meaningful impact made by volunteers every day.
With nearly a quarter-of-a-million people living at the poverty level in Northeast Florida, the need for pro bono support is immense.
Each attorney is encouraged to offer his/her legal expertise to one low-income client or participate in one pro bono project by contacting one of these legal services organizations.
Guardian ad Litem
When you volunteer with the Guardian ad Litem program for the 4th Judicial Circuit, you become a voice for a child in dependency court.
Other pro bono opportunities with the program include using your area of expertise, such as special education, probate, guardianship, appeals or immigration. Training is available.
Contact Christine Meyer, supervising program attorney, at [email protected] for more information on pro bono opportunities.
JALA and Three Rivers Legal Services
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a mid-sized law firm established in 1935 by The Jacksonville Bar Association, which specializes in providing civil legal assistance to low-income residents.
Three Rivers has its headquarters in Gainesville and also provides civil legal assistance to local low-income people through its Jacksonville office.
Requests for services are at critical levels. Pro bono attorneys are urgently needed to represent clients in a single legal matter and to assist with group information clinics and one-day events.
Attorneys can specify the practice areas in which they will assist and review cases prior to acceptance. Professional liability insurance and CLE webinar support are provided.
Review cases online at jaxlegalaid.org and click on “Cases in Need of Placement with Pro Bono Attorneys.”
Contact Kathy Para at [email protected] for more information on available training and all civil pro bono opportunities.
Clinics and outreach opportunities are organized and implemented through the collaboration of JALA, Three Rivers, the JBA, Florida Coastal School of Law and other voluntary Bar associations and community agencies.
Cases on the website are from JALA, Three Rivers, the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership and the Veterans Legal Collaborative.
For more information on Project R, Lawyers in Libraries, Citizenship Day, advance directives for seniors, pro se bankruptcy assistance clinics and other opportunities, contact Para or Chardea Murray at [email protected]
Judicial panels
The JBA is serving as the point of contact for dependency court and civil circuit court appointments of pro bono attorneys.
Attorneys interested in assisting a child in a dependency matter and receiving pro bono appointments from the dependency bench should contact Nikki Hawkins at [email protected].
Attorneys interested in assisting an indigent client in a civil matter and receiving pro bono appointments from the civil bench should contact Para at [email protected], specifying they would like to be part of the Civil Judicial Appointment Pro Bono Panel.
Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership
When a doctor, nurse, social worker or other member of a medical team suspects an environmental, economic, social or educational legal issue may exist, that person makes a referral to the partnership for a legal diagnosis. The referrals come from clinics serving low-income residents.
The partnership attorney interviews the patient and evaluates whether he/she could benefit from legal assistance or another community service.
If legal assistance is recommended, the case is placed with the partnership.
Pro bono attorneys receive case summaries and full case information prior to acceptance of the case. Support includes training and professional liability insurance.
For more information, contact Para at [email protected].
Missing Link Inc.
Family law attorneys and paralegals are needed to assist victims of domestic violence with preparing pro se divorce documents.
Missing Link meets once a month in the evening. Contact Cindy Houston for schedule and location details at [email protected].
Public Defender’s Office
Pro bono attorneys are needed to serve as special assistant public defenders representing clients in misdemeanor cases in criminal court. Training and support is provided.
Special assistant public defenders help a low-income client seek justice allowing staff attorneys more time to focus on the thousands of cases they already handle.
For more information, contact Kate Bedell at [email protected].
For more information on opportunities in the 4th Judicial Circuit, attorneys are encouraged to contact Para at [email protected] or (904) 356-8371, ext. 363.