Imagine the impact we could make if every attorney took just one pro bono case a year.
It could significantly improve access to justice for all Florida residents.
Volunteer your legal expertise to a low-income client by contacting one of these legal services organizations:
Guardian ad Litem
When you volunteer with the Guardian ad Litem in the 4th Judicial Circuit, you become a voice for a child in dependency court.
Other 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.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and Three Rivers Legal Services
Established in 1935 by The Jacksonville Bar Association, JALA specializes in providing civil legal assistance to low-income people.
Three Rivers has its headquarters in Gainesville and also provides civil legal assistance to low-income clients in the Jacksonville area at a local office.
Requests for services are at critical levels.
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.”
Cases on the website are from JALA, Three Rivers, the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership and the Veterans Legal Collaborative.
Clinics and outreach opportunities are organized through collaboration with Florida Coastal School of Law and other voluntary bar associations and community agencies.
Opportunities include advance directives for seniors, Citizenship Day, Lawyers in Libraries, Ask-A-Lawyer, brief counsel and advice at the VA Clinic and family law group information clinics in Clay, Duval and Nassau counties.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
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].
Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership
When a doctor, nurse, social worker or other member of a medical team suspects environmental, economic, social, or educational legal issue may exist, they make a referral for a legal diagnosis.
The attorney interviews the patient and evaluates whether he or she could benefit from legal assistance or another community service.
If legal assistance is recommended, the case is placed with the partnership for pro bono assignment. Attorneys receive case summaries and full case information prior to acceptance of the case.
Support for volunteer attorneys includes training and professional liability insurance.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Panels for dependency and civil appointments
The JBA is serving as the point of contact for dependency court and civil Circuit Court appointment of attorneys.
Attorneys interested in assisting a child in a dependency matter and receiving an appointment from the dependency bench are encouraged to contact Nikki Hawkins at [email protected].
Attorneys interested in assisting an indigent client in a civil matter are encouraged to contact [email protected], specifying they would like to be part of the Civil Judicial Appointment Pro Bono Panel.
Office of Public Defender
Attorneys are needed to serve as special assistant public defenders representing clients in misdemeanor cases in criminal court.
Training and support are provided.
Volunteers help a low-income client seek justice, allowing staff attorneys more time to focus on the cases they already handle.
For more information, contact Gary Beard at [email protected]
For more information on opportunities in the 4th Judicial Circuit, attorneys are encouraged to email [email protected], or call (904) 356-8371, ext. 363.