FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Jaclyn Kramer
Development Director
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 755-4120
Email: jkramer@vljnj.org
Cathy Keenan
Executive Director
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 645-1951, ext.101
Email: ckeenan@vljnj.org
Newark, NJ – January 26, 2021 – Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is excited to announce that it has received a generous donation from Amazon at the suggestion of its volunteer partner Audible, an Amazon company. VLJ, which is headquartered in Newark, provides free civil legal services for New Jersey residents living at or below the poverty level through in-house lawyers and pro bono lawyers throughout the legal community. VLJ has partnered with Audible’s legal department, also based in Newark, who provide pro bono legal services to client populations in dire need of help. With this unexpected support from Amazon, VLJ will be able to continue to change lives through legal assistance, especially for those who have suffered disproportionately as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
VLJ coordinates ten pro bono programs, including a program that assists renters facing eviction. While there were almost 160,000 eviction notices filed in New Jersey before the pandemic, experts estimate that number will double in 2021 as a result of lost jobs and wages from COVID-19. VLJ also expects an uptick in clients who will need assistance with mounting debt, education issues, issues related to employability, and family law matters. VLJ assists clients with all these issues and more. This support from Amazon will go a long way in ensuring VLJ has the capacity to train and mentor volunteer attorneys and to take cases in-house so that clients’ voices are lifted in a complex and daunting legal system.
Audible announced the gift to VLJ’s Executive Director, Cathy Keenan, late last year.
“I was floored,” says Keenan. “We are so proud of our partnership with Audible and our work in the community. To know that a large corporation like Amazon has taken notice of our efforts and invested in our pro bono model is certainly something to be proud of.”
Stas Zakharenko, General Counsel at Audible says, “Amazon is deeply invested in New Jersey and is proud to support VLJ and build on the working relationship with Audible legal to provide pro bono assistance to members of our community who are in extreme need of free legal help.”
“Volunteer Lawyers for Justice is a great organization that helps low-income residents of Newark and New Jersey get the legal services they need,” says Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., who represents New Jersey’s 10th District, where VLJ and Audible are headquartered. “I know that Amazon’s gift will help the organization to keep people in their homes and settle their debts affordably during this coronavirus global pandemic.”
VLJ is grateful to its friends at Audible and to Amazon for this incredible gift.
About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged and at-risk adults, children, and families in New Jersey by empowering them with the tools, advice, and pro bono representation to obtain fair and equal treatment within the legal system. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. Each year, VLJ’s work impacts more than 3,000 people—including veterans, children, tenants, families, and victims of human trafficking—through 10 pro bono programs. To learn more, please visit www.vljnj.org.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
About Audible
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the world’s largest producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible content includes more than 550,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers.