ATTORNEY & LAW STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

VLP pro bono and reduced fee programs are designed to be convenient, rewarding, and impactful for all Nebraska attorneys and law students, regardless of practice experience, practice areas, or place of employment. In addition to fulfilling your professional responsibility to do pro bono work, there are professional benefits to volunteering with VLP. 
  • Malpractice insurance for pro bono and reduced fee services.
  • Hands-on training and experience in divorce, custody, child and spousal support, modification of orders, consumer, probate, wills and powers of attorney, landlord-tenant, protection orders and guardianship.
  • Mentoring by VLP staff and volunteer lawyers.
  • Develop professional profile and practice skills.
  • Opportunities to attend free or low-cost CLE courses and training.
  • Recognition in NSBA publications.
  • Networking with other lawyers.

Pro Bono Cases

Low-income Nebraskans who need legal representation often lack the resources to hire a lawyer. Volunteers provide full and limited scope representation in bankruptcy, consumer debt, family law, small claims, wills and powers of attorney. 

Pop Up Clinics

One-day advice clinics are pro bono projects that bring lawyers into communities where low-income persons work and live. Volunteers meet with walk-in visitors at various community locations to give basic information about the law, distribute available court forms, assist with forms comprehension, and to provide resources and information about free or low cost legal service providers in the community.

Reduced Fee Case Placement

Through the Federal Victims of Crime Act, VLP is able to pay attorneys a reduced fee of $60 an hour to represent victims of violent crimes in civil legal matters related to the crime committed against them. These are most often family law cases for victims of domestic violence. The hope is that the small fee will make taking on more compelling, but more complex pro bono cases a possibility. 

Remote Clinics

The Volunteer Lawyers Project partners with Legal Aid of Nebraska to host remote clinics. Currently these clinics serve low-income Nebraskans living in rural areas who are seeking assistance in uncontested divorce cases. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email sseim@nevlp.org

The Tenants Assistance Project

​Courthouse Self Help Desk
Volunteer attorneys are on standby to offer eviction defense at the could house. 

To volunteer in Douglas County, click here. 

To volunteer in Lancaster County, click here. 
​Volunteers meet with self-represented persons at courthouses in Buffalo, Douglas, Hall, Kimball, Madison and Scotts Bluff counties to answer basic questions about the court and select civil legal issues, to assist with court forms and forms comprehension, and to provide resources and information about free or low cost legal service providers in the community. Click Self Help Center for information about days, times, and contact information. You will find the relevant links in the buttons on the right-hand side of the page.

Nebraska Free Legal Answers

​NE Free Legal Answers allows you to do pro bono online, anytime and anywhere you have Internet access―no set schedules, long training, or travel. This program allows all Nebraska lawyers to give limited scope advice on civil law matters to qualified users who post questions on the Website. Your name is not disclosed to the user and you pick the questions you want to answer. Click Pro Bono and Low Bono/Reduced Fee Online to register and see how easy it is to do pro bono on the go.

​Other Nebraska Legal Nonprofits 

If you are interested in volunteering to help a nonprofit organization- please email Sseim@nevlp.org