Philadelphia VIP
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To Volunteer, Contact:
(215) 523-9550
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Location:
1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd.Two Penn CenterPhiladelphia, PA 19102
- Map: maps.google.com
- Phone: (215) 523-9550
- Fax: (215) 564-0845
- Website: http://phillyvip.org
Philadelphia VIP recruits, trains, and supports legal volunteers to represent low-income Philadelphians who need a lawyer but cannot afford one.
VIP volunteers represent pro bono clients facing a range of civil legal problems, which fall into the following four priority areas: Preventing Homelessness (tangled title, eviction defense); Preserving Income (estate planning, consumer debt defense, tort defense, tax issues); Supporting Family Stability (custody, divorce, support, Protection from Abuse, guardianship); and Promoting Community Economic Development (transactional assistance for low-income small businesses and small nonprofits).
Applying for Help: Small businesses and nonprofits seeking free legal help, as well as individuals who need a will, should apply here: https://phillyvip.org/get-legal-help
People who need help resolving other problems should contact Philadelphia Legal Assistance for intake: www.philalegal.org
How to Volunteer: Attorneys licensed in Pennsylvania can volunteer with VIP. In most cases, no prior experience is required; VIP’s legal team maintains a library of training resources and a network of mentors to help attorneys get started. To sign up, visit https://www.phillyvip.org/volunteer/volunteer-enrollment-form/
- County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Philadelphia
- Area of law: Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Elder Law, Family & Juvenile, Homeless, Housing, Life Planning, Nonprofit Organizations, Taxes, Probate, Real Estate, and Tort Defense
- Populations Served: Children, Domestic Violence Victims, Elderly, Immigrants, Low Income, Nonprofits, Working poor and unemployed
- Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
- Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes
- Training Provided: Yes
- Training Required: No
- CLE credit for trainings: Yes
- Training / Supervision Comments: If you attend a VIP training seminar, you can obtain CLE credits if you take a case.
- CLE credit for pro bono: Yes
- CLE pro bono comments: Beginning in 2019, attorneys may receive one (1) CLE credit hour for every five (5) hours of pro bono service completed through Accredited Pro Bono CLE Providers. A maximum of three hours may be applied per compliance period.
- Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
- Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
- Volunteers may participate long-distance: No