Volunteer Lawyers Projects
Volunteer Lawyers Projects
Attorneys throughout the state help provide equal access to justice through the Iowa Legal Aid Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project. These projects involve approximately 3,400 volunteer attorneys serving an average of 2,000 low-income Iowans each year. The value of pro bono services from the private bar averages over $2 million each year.
Opportunities to participate in volunteer lawyers projects around the state include:
- Accepting referrals on behalf of eligible clients (always with the prior approval of the attorney)
- Assisting with intake at Iowa Legal Aid offices
- Taking part in Continuing Legal Education Seminars on poverty law issues
- Contributing materials to probono.net/iowa
- Assisting pro bono clients at advice clinics and pro bono mediations
- Handling contested domestic abuse cases filed under Chapter 236
- Serving as an Emeritus Attorney (more information can be found here)
>To start helping low-income Iowans today, please fill out the Volunteer Lawyers Project registration form at Probono.net/iowa, and consider joining the probono.net/iowa website. This is a free website maintained by Iowa Legal Aid for attorneys to access a wide range of resources on poverty law issues.
Click here for a list of Benefits provided to Volunteer Lawyers Project participants.
Please note that all volunteer positions within Iowa Legal Aid's offices may not be available at all times or locations nearest you. For example, a particular volunteer position may have been filled or we may have limited capacity to engage volunteers with certain types of skills. Even though we cannot guarantee a placement to every prospective volunteer, we will do our best to match the applicants’ skills and interests with our present needs.