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Background Information
The Bar Association of Erie County Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc. (VLP) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation which provides free civil legal services to low income individuals and small not-for-profit groups in Erie County.
VLP accomplishes this by recruiting, training, coordinating and assisting attorneys who volunteer to represent VLP's clients on a pro bono basis. Pro bono is short for the Latin term, pro bono publico, which means "for the public good", but which has come to be synonymous with lawyers providing free legal services for those who cannot afford to pay. VLP has been doing this work since 1984 when it was created as a joint project of the Erie County Bar Association and Neighborhood Legal Services. The Bar Association incorporated VLP as a separate not-for-profit corporation in 1988.
Approximately 800 attorneys in Erie County volunteer through VLP. In 2000, attorneys provided almost 8,000 hours in volunteer time to assist VLP's clients. This represents approximately $1.2 million dollars in donated legal services for last year alone in Erie County. These volunteers represent clients in a variety of important types of civil matters. They represent women who are victims of domestic violence and handle a variety of other family law matters. They represent tenants in eviction proceedings to help them avoid becoming homeless. They represent people who have lost their jobs to help them to get unemployment insurance benefits and keep them off of the welfare rolls. They assist people with consumer problems or who are victims of unfair debt collection practices. VLP staff and volunteers also assist families infected with HIV, especially with permanency planning for the care of their children. They assisted long time lawful permanent residents who are now facing deportation due to harsh changes in the U.S. Immigration law. They also assist low-income individuals with a variety of other legal problems.
In addition, the volunteer attorneys represent small not-for-profit groups. These groups are primarily ones that assist the poor, the handicapped, the disabled, and the elderly. By providing legal assistance to these small not-for-profit groups, we secure assistance for hundreds or thousands of the less fortunate members of our community. Some examples of groups the VLP has assisted are Helping Hands of Greater Buffalo (WNY's largest soup kitchen and food pantry), the WNY Coalition for the Homeless, and Literacy Volunteers of America Buffalo and Erie County.
VLP's efforts have been extremely effective. In 2000, VLP referred 1,113 cases to pro bono attorneys, while assisting more than 5,000 clients in total for the ninth year in a row.
VLP's efforts are also cost effective for taxpayers. In, 2000, with a budget of about $425,000, VLP assisted clients in ways that saved local taxpayers an estimated over $575,000. These tax payer savings come through homelessness prevention and helping people to stay off of the welfare rolls by helping them to get the SSI or unemployment insurance benefits that they are entitled to.
VLP has not only concentrated on quantity, but also on quality. In fact, in 1992 when the ABA's Center for Pro Bono hired a new Assistant Director and sent him out on some site visits to see some good pro bono programs in operation, VLP was one of the ones chosen.
Part of VLP's success over the past few years has been due to some special projects that it operates. One of these projects is the Attorney of the Morning Program which operates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning in Buffalo City Court. Under this program, attorneys who have been trained in landlord/tenant law represent low income tenants who are facing the possibility of eviction. The attorneys are scheduled ahead of time and represent all low income tenants who show up in court without an attorney. In 1991, the State Bar presented an Award of Merit to the Bar Association of Erie County in recognition of VLP's Attorney of the Morning Program. That program is now being copied around the state.
The second program is VLP's Haven House Intake Program for victims of domestic violence. Haven House is the largest shelter for victims of domestic violence in Erie County. Each Tuesday night trained volunteer attorneys and law students travel to a site near Haven House to meet with several of Haven House's clients. The purpose of this program is to give the women counsel and advise regarding legal issues they are facing. By reaching out to them in a setting which is comfortable and supportive, the program is able to help plug these clients into systems which are already in place to help them with their legal problems.
A third special project our Permanency Planning Project for Families infected with HIV/AIDS. This project started as an outreach program at the Parents and Children Together (P.A.C.T). Clinic at Children's Hospital. In a quiet setting, clients are helped by a VLP staff member and a volunteer attorney to begin Permanency Planning. With the support of their nurses and case workers they plan who will take care of their children once they are no longer able to. A VLP volunteer attorney remains involved in the case until the legal issues are resolved. By reaching out to them in setting which the clients know and feel comfortable in, they are ready and open to discussing perhaps one of the most important and difficult decisions they will make in their children's lives. This project is headed up by attorney John Keavey.
VLP began a new project (headed up now by attorney Dan Novak) in January 1999 to work with the 10 largest law firms in Buffalo to better coordinate and increase the amount of pro bono work that they do through VLP. In 1999, those 10 firms collectively doubled the number of pro bono cases that they accepted from VLP in either of the two preceding years. This special project is now working with the 14 largest firms in town.
VLP is also began another special project in 1999, which is an Immigration Activation Project. This project focuses on representing aliens in custody of INS, but also assists aliens not in custody (particularly those working with Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program). Some of the first work accomplished by Sophie Feal, VLP's Immigration Project attorney, was to refer 8 Chinese nationals' political asylum cases to 8 local pro bono attorneys. Sophie organized for these pro bono attorneys a special training focusing on the issues (including forced sterilization) presented by these cases.
Part of the reason for VLP's success has been its close ties with not only the Bar Association of Erie County; but also the Minority Bar Association; the Women's Bar Association of NY State, WNY Chapter; and the State University of NY at Buffalo Law School. Each of these organizations appoints one or more members of VLP's Board of Directors and works with and supports VLP's efforts.
The Bar Association of Erie County (BAEC) appoints most of VLP's Board and each year the President-Elect of the BAEC serves on VLP's Board. In addition, throughout the year, the BAEC publicizes VLP to its members and encourages them to participate as VLP volunteers.
The Women's Bar works jointly with VLP to recruit its own members to volunteer on cases of particular importance to women.
VLP also works with the Minority Bar and with the St. Thomas More Guild (an organization of Catholic lawyers) to recruit their respective members.
VLP also works with the law school and law students in various ways to involve students in the delivery of legal services and to sensitize them to the needs and problems of low income clients. Many of these students become volunteer attorneys after they are admitted to practice. Therefore, VLP's work with law students is really long-term recruitment.
For more information, contact Bob Elardo at VLP.