Getting Started
It’s easy to get started with us. Read over the program descriptions below and then take a few moments to fill out our volunteer form. Attorneys can volunteer in a number of different ways: you can take a full representation case, volunteer at a limited-scope legal clinic, lead a legal information seminar, become a mentor to less experienced volunteers, lead a volunteer attorney training, and more.
After completing our Volunteer Form, you will receive a copy of VLJ’s Volunteer Handbook and be added to VLJ’s listserv to begin receiving VLJ’s listing of case opportunities and notices of all VLJ-sponsored trainings and events. If you have questions, please contact us at (973) 645-1955 or probono@vljnj.org.
supporting Children, Families, and women
CHILDREN'S REPRESENTATION PROGRAM
Under federal and state law, children with disabilities are entitled to a free, appropriate, public education (“FAPE”). Too often, school districts deny students with disabilities this critical right. VLJ’s Children’s Representation Program assists families of children with disabilities secure a FAPE, disrupt the school to prison pipeline by addressing improper disciplinary actions, attend school without fear of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (“HIB”), defend families in improper truancy charges, and ensure students are not improperly excluded from school due to residency issues. We partner with some of the best special education attorneys in New Jersey to support these families. Find out more.
DIVORCE PROGRAM
Divorce and family law assistance, in general, are highly unmet areas of legal need throughout the country. For many, divorce is a critical step to move forward in life and resolve compounded issues relating to their children, assets, and debts. Additionally, because legal representation can be costly, the number of self-represented litigants trying to obtain a divorce, but unaware of the process and/or their rights, continues to grow in New Jersey. VLJ’s Divorce Program allows volunteer attorneys to provide much needed advice, support, and guidance to self-represented individuals who struggle to move forward in the divorce process. Find out more.
New Jersey Human TRAFFICKING Survivors LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Despite great strides made in addressing the crisis of human trafficking, victims/survivors often continue to face significant barriers as they work to rebuild their lives post-trafficking. VLJ’s New Jersey Human Trafficking Survivors Legal Assistance Program partners with some of New Jersey’s leading law firms and corporations to provide legal representation on a variety of civil legal issues to help victims/survivors pursue all legal remedies to which they are entitled. Find out more.
SOUTH WARD PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAM
The South Ward Promise Neighborhood (SWPN) was created by the U.S. Department of Education to help improve the educational and developmental outcomes of children in communities experiencing poverty. SWPN consists of 25+ community organizations and schools collaborating to provide resources and a strong support system to families in Newark’s South Ward so children can thrive in school, college, and career.
In addition to other supportive services being provided through SWPN, VLJ and its volunteer attorneys provide critical holistic civil legal services to families who live in Newark’s South Ward. Find out more.
tenancy program
More than 160,000 NJ households face eviction each year, and this number is expected to triple once the eviction moratorium is lifted. The stakes are high. When families have unstable housing, everything else in their lives starts to fall apart. Women and children experience higher rates of depression and worsening health outcomes; students suffer academically with higher absenteeism, lower grades, and lower graduation rates; and communities decline, as there is less of a chance for neighbors to form strong bonds and invest in their neighborhoods. The reality is that eviction both leads to and keeps families in poverty. Find out more.
Working toward Financial stability
Debt relief legal PROGRAM
The Debt Relief Legal Program has the ability to move families living in a state of financial crisis toward financial freedom. Many individuals who come to VLJ are overwhelmed by medical and/or other forms of debt, are enduring harassment from debt collectors and sometimes are being sued for a debt that is not even theirs. Co-sponsored by Merck & Co., Inc. and Prudential, this program allows volunteer attorneys to undertake an invaluable service for clients by providing a range of legal services intended to bring financial relief. Through a twice-monthly, virtual legal clinic, volunteer attorneys assist pro se litigants with lawsuits in the Special Civil Part in New Jersey, in addition to screening those considering filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. We work to ensure poverty is transitory and defines no one. Find out more.
REENTRY LEGAL SERVICES (RELESE)
One in three U.S. adults have a criminal record. That is 70 million people—the same number as those with a college degree. 9 out of 10 employers review criminal backgrounds when deciding which employee to hire. 4 out of 5 landlords check criminal backgrounds when choosing a renter. And when there is a disproportionate number of Black, Latino/Latina, and other minority communities caught up in the criminal legal system, families can be trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty for generations.
Through VLJ’s ReLeSe Program, volunteer teams comprised of attorneys and non-attorneys advise clients during limited-scope legal clinics on their eligibility for record clearing relief. Additionally, volunteers can provide limited-scope assistance by e-filing pro se petitions for eligible petitioners. Volunteers can also represent eligible clients with complex cases or other hardships that require attorney involvement. Finally, volunteers are also needed to respond to objections or file Motions to Enforce Litigant’s Rights to ensure expungements proceed and are processed in a timely manner.
Clients who successfully receive an expungement benefit from increased employment opportunities, economic independence, housing stability, productive citizenship, while reducing recidivism and building safer communities. In short, expungement provides life-changing relief. Find out more.
serving those who served
Veterans Legal Program
Every year, approximately 200,000 men and women leave U.S. military service and return to life as civilians. These veterans face a number of challenges when transitioning to civilian life, some of which include or may lead to ongoing civil legal issues. Founded in 2014 with PSEG, VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program (VLP) provides a lifeline to veterans who face legal issues after serving our county. VLJ hosts two virtual clinics a month where volunteers provide a holistic legal “check up” for veterans to determine what issues are holding them back and when legal relief is possible. Volunteers also provide ongoing assistance in areas of high-need among veterans including driver’s license restoration, criminal record expungement, and child support modification. Find out more.
Responding to Disaster
DISASTER LEGAL RESPONSE PROGRAM
Following Superstorm Sandy, VLJ’s staff and volunteers mobilized quickly to coordinate legal assistance throughout the regions of the state most impacted by the storm. For years after the storm, civil legal issues still persisted for countless families and legal representation was often the key for a family to return home. VLJ coordinated walk-in legal clinics, organized informational seminars, and placed individual cases for full representation with pro bono attorneys, assisting over 1,500 families in the five years after Sandy. VLJ also established the Statewide Disaster Legal Team, which developed a comprehensive, statewide, disaster legal plan, to be used in the event of future disasters, and which meets annually to review the plan and ensure collaboration among legal services organizations, the private bar, state and local bar associations, and local law schools. VLJ staff remain involved in disaster legal issues by providing advice and guidance to areas that have been impacted by recent disasters.
Please note, there are no volunteer opportunities currently available with this program.
Direct Referral Program
A list of pro bono opportunities is available to VLJ’s panel of volunteers at all times. Opportunities range from limited-scope opportunities to direct representation. Case types include bankruptcy, child support issues, consumer law issues, criminal record expungements, divorce, driver’s license issues, education cases, and estate issues. Volunteer attorneys review the pro bono opportunities list and volunteer for opportunities that fit their interests, experience levels, and schedules. To receive VLJ’s list of available pro bono opportunities, you must be a member of our volunteer attorney panel. Complete a Volunteer Form to get started.