News & Updates
For Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s November Supporter of the Month, we spotlight and celebrate Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark and its Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program that provide much-needed funding for VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program (VLP). Through SSVF, Catholic Charities provides essential supportive services to veterans experiencing poverty and those at risk of homelessness.
For Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s October 2023 Supporter of the Month, we recognize PSEG and the PSEG Foundation, a steadfast partner, champion, and cheerleader of VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program. PSEG’s invaluable support fuels VLJ’s services for those who served, extending critical legal help to veterans across New Jersey with their unmet civil legal needs.
For Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s September 2023 Supporter of the Month, we proudly feature the South Ward Promise Neighborhood (SWPN), the catalyst for VLJ’s SWPN Program. SWPN's generous funding—$540,000 since 2017—plays a pivotal role enabling VLJ to provide essential civil legal services to families in Newark's South Ward, ensuring children can thrive from the cradle, to college and career, and beyond.
The SWPN is a powerful collaborative effort of more than 25 organizations working together to invest in South Ward families. SWPN’s partners offer free programs and services to ensure children receive support at every stage of development from prenatal to college and career. The goal of SWPN is to ensure every child growing up in Newark’s South Ward has access to high-quality services and community support.
For Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s (VLJ) August 2023 Supporter of the Month, we spotlight the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Fund of the Bar of New Jersey (IOLTA NJ), a pivotal supporter of VLJ’s Divorce Program—a legal program that helps pro se litigants navigate the divorce process in New Jersey.
With a remarkable history of awarding grants totaling over $462 million to organizations across New Jersey, IOLTA NJ is a driving force behind the delivery of free legal services for New Jerseyans experiencing poverty who face unmet legal needs while improving the administration of justice.
As the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is,” and VLJ’s home in Newark is generously made possible by our July 2023 Supporter of the Month, McCarter & English, LLP.
McCarter & English could have stopped there, but going above and beyond in 2022, 72 attorney and non-attorney staff from McCarter & English volunteered nearly 1,307 hours of their time. The already impressive 1,307 volunteer hours really hit home the power of pro bono when one considers the corresponding “value in service” (calculated using individual billable rates) means over $498,000 in free legal assistance was donated to VLJ and its clients. McCarter & English's unwavering partnership with VLJ empowers us and our work, and it shows the commitment to ensuring access to justice runs deep in Newark and across New Jersey.
For this month's inaugural VLJ “Supporter of the Month” series, we are delighted to recognize the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Foundation whose generous funding has made a significant impact on VLJ’s Divorce Program and its clients.
