Legal
Assistance Project
Although our staff is small,
our network of over 200 volunteers from the D.C. legal community enables
us to handle well over 1,000 individual and family client matters each
year. All volunteers receive substantive training before they first
meet with clients and enjoy ongoing case counseling from the Legal Clinic’s
experienced staff attorneys. Not only do our volunteers gain meaningful
legal experience, their efforts impact the lives of their clients.
Volunteer Job Description
Volunteer attorneys and attorney-paralegal
teams are being sought to assist homeless clients with various legal
matters. Legal Clinic volunteers conduct intake interviews at different
social service sites within D.C. and assist clients on a wide range
of cases, from obtaining entitled benefits and keeping people in their
homes to reuniting families.
Specific Duties
Responsibilities include interviewing
clients at intake sessions and providing advice, assistance and follow
up representation when necessary. Some clients need a simple referral,
or a phone call made in their behalf. Other cases are more involved.
Requirements
Volunteers must be a member
of the District of Columbia Bar or have begun the procedure to waive-in
admission. Attorneys employed by the United States government do not
have to be a member of the District of Columbia Bar, although they must
be a member in good standing of the highest court of any state. Non-attorneys
(paralegals, law students) must volunteer under the supervision of an
attorney admitted to the District of Columbia Bar. To avoid a potential
conflict of interest, federal attorneys will volunteer in conjunction
with a non-government attorney.
Job Structure
Generally, volunteers attend
intake once a month or once every two months. Scheduling is done every
two months to accommodate ever-changing schedules and individual needs.
The number of clients seen at any one intake session varies, averaging
around 2 to 4 with two-thirds of client matters requiring follow-up.
Volunteers must file updates every two months, briefly describing the
status of their cases.
Contact
If
you would like to receive more information, please contact Emily Uhar,
Coordinator of Volunteers, at 202-328-1263 or emily.uhar@legalclinic.org.
