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 (March 10, 2021) — Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is pleased to announce it has received an unrestricted $25,000 grant from BlackRock in support of our legal programs.
VLJ provides free legal services to New Jersey residents living at or below the poverty level. Our clients face seemingly insurmountable civil legal issues and cannot afford lawyers, but VLJ provides education, counseling, advice, and direct legal services. In 2020, VLJ quickly shifted to providing free virtual legal services and also focused on educating the community and potential volunteers. VLJ served 1,080 clients and their families, impacting 2,525 people. Additionally, VLJ sponsored 25 legal seminars which educated 703 people about their legal rights and trained 632 volunteers at 26 trainings. Eighty-three (83%) percent of the clients served last year are Black, indigenous, and other people of color, 60% are women, and 34% are veterans.
VLJ’s programs provide free legal aid in matters of divorce, child support, education, bullying, estate planning, bankruptcy, consumer law, criminal record expungement, driver’s license restoration, tenancy, and disaster-related legal issues. VLJ also provides holistic legal services to families in Newark’s South Ward, veterans, and victims of human trafficking.
The grant was sponsored by BlackRock employee Manuil Tonev as part of their BlackRock Gives Program. Tonev said, “As part of our commitment to building a better future, I am grateful that BlackRock, through the Gives Program, can support the wider communities in which we work and live. I am happy that VLJ is one of BlackRock’s grant recipients and confident that this will help achieve more just outcomes for those in need.”
Cathy Keenan, VLJ’s Executive Director, said, “It is through the leadership of corporations like BlackRock that VLJ is able to provide life-changing legal services to low-income and vulnerable communities across New Jersey. As the people we serve are disproportionally impacted by COVID-19, it is reassuring to know that VLJ has funders like BlackRock that view the provision of free legal assistance as fundamental services. We are so grateful to have BlackRock as a partner in our effort to ensure that justice is available to all in our state.”
VLJ is very grateful for the support from BlackRock.
About VLJ
VLJ is a non-profit law firm that provides civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable client populations throughout New Jersey. VLJ’s model for ensuring fair access to the legal system makes the most of scarce financial resources through partnerships with hundreds of volunteer attorneys. With the support of 460 volunteers, VLJ helped 1,080 clients last year, including veterans, children, tenants, families, and victims of human trafficking, through 10 distinct pro bono programs. To learn more, please visit www.vljnj.org