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How
do I sign up to volunteer?
Please click on the following link to sign up on-line:
Sign Up
For questions or further information, you may also contact Michele
Mirto,
Program Director at 520-623-9465, ext. 4171 or
mmirto@sazlegalaid.org.
What kinds of cases
does the Volunteer Lawyers Program handle?
The VLP accepts any type of civil case, including family law,
consumer,
housing, government benefits, probate, assistance to non-profit
organizations, immigration, and tort defense. The VLP is prohibited from
handling criminal cases. Please see the
volunteer opportunities page for
more information.
What
areas of Arizona do you serve?
The VLP serves Pima County and Tucson, as well as eight rural
counties, including Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo,
Pinal,
and Santa Cruz Counties. If you would like to volunteer in La Paz,
Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai, or Yuma Counties, please go to
www.vlpmaricopa.org. If you would
like to volunteer in Coconino County or
for DNA People Legal
Service's service area in northern Navajo and Apache
Counties, please go to
www.dnalegalservices.org.
Are the cases all
direct representation?
No, in addition to direct representation cases, the VLP offers a
variety of
clinics to offer clients brief service and advice. These
clinics include
Domestic Relations Clinics, Bankruptcy Clinics, Domestic Violence
Clinics, and Bankruptcy Court Reaffirmation Clinics.
Please see the
volunteer opportunities
page for more information on each
clinic.
Who determines if a
client is eligible and if their case has merit?
All VLP clients are screened by Legal Aid intake workers.
Eligibility is
determined by federal poverty guidelines, including income and
assets, as
well as by citizenship status. Intake staff also assess the
merit of each
client's case. Once referred to the VLP, Michele Mirto, Program
Director,
reviews each new case. Some cases are referred to a clinic setting for
further review and recommendation by a volunteer lawyer. If a volunteer
lawyer discovers that a client may not be financially eligible or that their
case may
not have merit, the volunteer lawyer should contact the VLP
as
soon as possible.
Contact the VLP.
If I
sign up, what kind of time commitment am I giving?
Through the VLP, you can donate a few hours at a clinic or represent
a
client from beginning to end. You choose the time commitment that meets
your preferences and schedule.
Does the VLP cover
malpractice insurance?
Yes. Any case handled through the VLP is covered under the
VLP's
malpractice insurance, which is a policy through the National Legal
Aid and
Defender's Association (NLADA).
The policy
provides $1 million in
coverage per case with an
aggregate of $2 million. If you have further
questions
about this, please contact Michele Mirto, VLP
Program Director,
at 520-623-9465, ext. 4171, or
mmirto@sazlegalaid.org.
Who pays for court
fees?
Many VLP clients qualify for a deferral or waiver of fees.
However, if a
client does not qualify for a deferral or waiver, he or she is asked
to pay
their
own court fees. If the client cannot afford court fees, please contact
the VLP as we may be able to pay the fees and then set up a payment
plan with the
client.
Who pays for support
services, such as translators and court reporters?
Many legal professionals such as court reporters, translators,
accountants
and process servers donate their time to assist VLP clients. If you
discover
that you require such services in a VLP case that you are working
on, you
should contact the VLP office immediately. The VLP may be able to
obtain
the services you need on a pro bono basis.
Who coordinates this program?
Michele Mirto, VLP Director and Attorney at Law, oversees the entire
program. Socorro Diaz coordinates the VLP in Pima County, and
Krystal Duran coordinates the program in the rural areas of Arizona
(including
Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, Pinal, and
Santa Cruz counties). Please
click here for more information about the
VLP
staff.
Does the VLP offer
training and Continuing Legal Education seminars?
Yes, the VLP does offer Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars.
Seminars are offered at no cost to volunteer attorneys or those
attorneys
willing to sign up to participate in the VLP prior to the seminar.
Generally
seminars are held four times per year in Pima County and several
times a
year in the VLP’s outlying eight counties.
See the
CLE page for more
information on
upcoming CLEs.
Where is the VLP located?
Are there rural offices?
The VLP office is housed in Tucson at Southern Arizona Legal Aid.
The
address is 64 E. Broadway Blvd.; Tucson, Arizona 85701-1720.
Although
there are rural Legal Aid offices, there is no physical VLP office
located in
the rural counties. However, the VLP staff, especially Krystal
Duran,
the VLP’s Rural County Coordinator, maintain a significant presence in
these
areas. Krystal coordinates clinics in the counties, attends local
bar meetings, organizes recognition functions and Continuing Legal
Education seminars sponsored by the VLP.
Krystal is available toll free
at 1-800-640-9465, ext. 4176 or by e-mail at
kduran@sazlegalaid.org.
What kind of recognition is given for volunteer
lawyers?
The VLP pursues every possible recognition opportunity for our
volunteers.
The staff nominates volunteers for local, state and national
awards. In
addition, the VLP recognizes one attorney each month in Pima county
and
one attorney each quarter in Cochise County for their extraordinary
efforts
in providing pro bono legal services. In addition, the program
sponsors an
annual awards luncheon in Pima County and an annual awards
ceremony
in Cochise County to recognize and thank all of the volunteers that
participate in the program. The VLP
recognizes that our volunteers
are
among the most talented and generous people in our community. We
make every effort to ensure that the legal community and the general
public
know about their good works.
See
the
awards page.
Who funds the VLP?
Funding for the program is provided by a variety of sources that
include
grants and private donations. In 2004, the VLP received financial
support
from the following sources:
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education
Arizona Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Project
Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA)
Pima County Bar Association
Member Dues Donation
Project Donation
Pima County Superior Court
Legal
Services Corporation Grant
Donations/Contributions/Other
Grants
Other
(Recovered cost-clinic packets, reimbursements, etc.)
* VLP annual budget is
funded through SALA
Go to the
funders page!
For more information about the VLP and the VLP budget,
view the
2007 VLP Annual Report.
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