Pro Bono at VOLS

Pro bono volunteer service powers VOLS’ mission. Pro bono volunteers contribute valuable legal support while VOLS’ legal team provides training and ongoing mentorship. We support pro bono on matters that fit our volunteers’ legal background, interest areas, or both. Our six legal projects empower older adults, veterans, immigrant youth, individuals entitled to public benefits, microentrepreneurs, incarcerated mothers, children and their families in New York City.

When you partner with VOLS, you will:

Provide legal services to New Yorkers who otherwise could not afford a lawyer
Receive matters that are pre-screened and ongoing support from VOLS’ legal team
Work directly with clients
Learn a new area of law or contribute or existing legal knowledge

Pro bono lawyers also have opportunities to contribute to VOLS’ legal education presentations, legal research, public comments, and impact litigation.

Non-attorney volunteers can contribute:

Pro bono paralegal support
Translation and interpretation
Data analysis and visualization
Program evaluation and monitoring

As a Volunteer of Legal Service, you can support one or more of our projects:

Senior Law Project
Work with older adults to draft and execute documents that help them plan for incapacity and end-of-life, including, Last Wills & Testaments, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and other advance directives.

Benefits Law Project
Help New Yorkers access and secure essential public benefits, including Unemployment Insurance, New York Rent Freeze Programs (SCRIE/DRIE), and SSI/SSDI benefits.

Immigration Project
Support immigrant youth and families in resolving immigration law matters including, asylum, DACA renewals, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Temporary Protected Status, U-Visas, Employment Authorization, Advanced Parole, and removal defense.

Microenterprise Project
Assist small business owners in transactional matters including, entity selection and formation, governance documents, contracts, compliance with employment law, protecting intellectual property, and cybersecurity.

Incarcerated Mothers Law Project
Work with mothers and parents in and recently released from New York State women’s prisons and jail who seek information about their family law rights.

Meet the VOLS Pro Bono Advocates Council

The VOLS Pro Bono Dean's List annually honors exceptional volunteers.