Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is always searching for assitance in delivering Legal Services to our client community. To read what some of your colleagues say about volunteering see our newsletter. If you would like to volunteer with one of our offices, please fill out the following form.
Everyday potential clients walk through the door of one of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas 15 offices requesting legal assistance. Legal Aid’s staff attorneys simply cannot meet the huge demand for help in civil matters. This is why “pro bono” participation is an integral part of Legal Aid’s effort to provide high quality civil legal assistance to eligible clients.
Why Do Pro Bono?
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas’ Equal Justice Volunteer Program (EJVP) works to build effective, innovative delivery models to attract professionals and lay volunteers who are willing to contribute their time and talent to help close the justice gap. What types of services can volunteers perform?
Judges volunteer in our evening legal clinic programs by proving-up pro se and agreed divorce cases, serve on CLE seminar planning teams, act as presenters at substantive law training events, and participate on local pro bono advisory boards.
Private Attorneys and Corporate Counsels staff our legal clinics, accept pro bono civil law cases, act as mentors, presenters at CLE training events, serve on speaker’s panels, provide assistance to pro se litigants, are mediators, co-counselors, and serve on our pro bono advisory boards.
Paralegals, Legal Assistants, and Legal Secretaries conduct intake eligibility screening at our community legal clinics, draft pleadings under the volunteer attorney’s supervision, conduct legal research and perform administrative functions.
Court Clerks file Original Petitions and Waiver of Citations, conform and certify Final Divorce Decrees at our monthly Agreed Divorce Legal Clinic and prove-up hearings in Fort Worth.
Court Reporters donate court-reporting services for depositions on pro bono cases, render services at night court and law firm prove-up hearings.
Librarians assist with keeping our law libraries updated, dispose of outdated materials, and organize legal documents for easy access by our volunteer lawyers.
Law and Paralegal Students, Community Advocates and other professionals provide support services to attorneys that handle pro bono cases, perform intake screening at legal clinics, conduct legal research, and perform case management administrative tasks.
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas helps volunteer attorneys in every way possible to help guarantee high quality and cost-efficient legal services are provided to our clients. Our support services include but are not limited to:
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Malpractice insurance at no cost
- Sample pleadings/court forms
- Volunteer law students and paralegals to provide technical support
- Reimbursement of extraordinary litigation and out-of-pocket expenses.
- Case maintenance, time records to track donated hours
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Free MCLE training opportunities
Access to our program’s resources such as LexisNexis, secretarial support, and usage of our copying equipment to help offset cost related to pro bono representation
Our branch office pro bono programs implement annual awards recognition events that are held in collaboration with local bar associations. Attorneys and lay volunteers are recognized for the outstanding pro bono services rendered to our client population performed during the year.
For more information please see our volunteer brochure.
