Volunteer with the VLP

Over 15% of Maine's citizens live in poverty, half of all Mainers read at or below an 8th grade level and approximately 70,000 low-income households experience a significant legal problem every year. Using toll free and local lines, low-income people across the state call the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) for legal assistance.

For twenty-five years, The VLP has responded to their calls by providing free information, assistance and pro bono representation. Empowering people to assert their rights, extending the protections of the law to everyone, and using the law to change lives for the better is what every Mainer deserves.

Six major volunteer components, plus staff, ensure that a variety of services are provided.

• Client Interviewers: Trained volunteers answer the phone lines, interview the callers, review the matter with legal supervisors, and act as the link to needed services. Volunteers are recruited from the broad Southern Maine community, various universities and colleges within Maine and elsewhere, and the University Of Maine School Of Law.
• Helpline Advocates: Law students and lawyers provide assistance to those individuals going through family law matters pro se (without an attorney). Such cases come through the daytime interviewing process first and are scheduled for evening Helpline services by VLP staff.
• Interns and Fellows: Undergraduate and Law Students commit to various levels of extended time and service to the program. (12 hrs, 16 hrs, 20 hrs and 35 hrs per week per semester) Responsibilities and opportunities include client interviewing, court observations, trainings with attorneys, mentoring, and projects specific to program needs and intern interest.
• Lawyers of the Day: Area attorneys volunteer to come into the Portland office or Bangor satellite office for the sole purpose of referring accepted cases to other attorneys around the state. VLP staff determines whether a case is accepted for pro bono (free representation) or reduced fee referral.
• Pro Bono Panel Members: Attorneys throughout the state volunteer to accept cases and provide free or reduced fee services.
• Friends of the VLP: A specific group of volunteers assist staff with recruitment, training, outreach, and fundraising.
• Others: Volunteers also assist staff with administrative tasks, web design, data entry, and specifically designed projects.

To learn more about volunteering with VLP, follow the links to the left. If you would like to volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.

VOLUNTEERS ARE THE CRITICAL LINK TO SERVICES