Volunteer FAQ

Since its’ founding- VLS has been on a mission to improve access to the civil justice system. We do this by leveraging the time, talent, and expertise of an attorney volunteer network that provides pro bono civil legal services, including legal advice and representation, to those most in need in our community.

Many people in our community cannot afford legal help when confronted with life-altering situations that threaten their safety, their rights, their health, and their families. VLS staff and attorney volunteers assist by providing free legal services to individuals and families, such as helping victims of abuse end violent relationships, connecting persons with disabilities with medical and financial benefits, and keeping people out of homelessness by defending against wrongful evictions and foreclosures.

We offer year-round programs and services including legal advice and intake clinics, direct legal representation, and pro se legal assistance. All services are provided free of charge. To receive services, individuals must meet income qualifications, which are at or below 125% of federal poverty guidelines ($31,375 for a family of four), with discretion for individuals, such as victims of domestic violence, living at or below 187.5% ($47,063).

VLS volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and bring a variety of experiences, knowledge and skills. While our greatest need is for attorney volunteers to provide pro bono legal advice and direct representation, we also need volunteers to:
1) interpret for our non-English-speaking or hearing-impaired clients
2) serve as greeters and provide general support at our legal advice and intake clinics; and
3) help with special projects such as public relations, fundraising, graphic design, and outreach.

VLS offers flexible volunteer opportunities. You can choose how much time you would like to commit to give as a VLS volunteer.

Whether you want to help for an hour or two occasionally or on an ongoing basis at our legal clinics or if you want to be directly involved with a pro bono case, we will work together to find a role that meets your interests and availability.

We ask that all volunteers (attorneys and non-attorneys) complete a brief volunteer application.

Attorney volunteers must be licensed in the state of Texas, be in good standing, and be committed to pro bono service. If you are not licensed and in good standing in another jurisdiction, you may still be able to volunteer through the State Bar’s NOVA program.

No prior experience is needed. VLS offers a variety of orientation and training sessions to help all volunteers get started.

Please sign up to volunteer on Volunteer Hub. After creating your profile, you will be able to sign up directly for opportunities.

If you have any questions about volunteering, contact Director of Pro Bono Services Hollie Toups at htoups@vlsoct.org

We can schedule you for the next available clinic or quickly refer a pending pro bono case. However, we are happy to wait until you are done with that big trial you have been preparing for or that family vacation coming up. VLS honors our volunteers’ time and commitments.

VLS legal clinics offer a meaningful way to make an immediate positive impact in the life of someone experiencing a hardship or crisis. Clinics are also a unique opportunity to volunteer and network with fellow attorneys and colleagues who are similarly minded and pro bono oriented.

VLS legal clinics are open to the public and are an opportunity for individuals seeking civil legal help to receive immediate legal advice from attorney volunteers and apply for additional legal services with VLS.
These community clinics occur on designated Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the Austin area.

The clinics begin promptly at 6:00 pm following a general announcement by VLS staff and typically end at 8:00 pm. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 5:45 pm to sign-in. Our applications for assistance open for individuals at clinic at 5:00 pm and remain open until we have reached capacity for the evening.

VLS staff members, including our Staff Attorneys, are present and available to help at every clinic. Additionally, experienced and dedicated volunteer attorneys, interpreters, and paralegals are able to assist you. All new attorney volunteers are encouraged to shadow a veteran clinic attorney volunteer for as long as they wish before they give it a go on their own.

We strongly encourage attorney volunteers to take advantage of and talk with the other volunteers and/or clinic team members present to get their perspective and guidance when in doubt about what legal advice to provide.

Legal clinic attendees are able to visit with an attorney volunteer for 30 minutes at every clinic. Thirty minutes may not seem like enough time to help someone but in our experience it is just enough time to gain an understanding of someone’s legal problem(s) and begin the process toward resolution while ensuring that we are able to provide advice to as many people as possible at a given clinic.

There are no firm limits on the number of times someone can attend clinic and receive legal advice. And, when people apply for clinic advice, they are automatically considered for further legal services as well.

Individuals submit an application at the beginning of the clinic. VLS staff reviews those applications and conducts any further intake that is necessary at that point. Then, staff pairs applicants with available attorney volunteers.

After 30 minutes with an applicant, volunteer attorneys submit their paperwork and will then be paired with the next applicant waiting for legal advice.
This process continues until all applicants/attendees have an opportunity to visit with an attorney volunteer. Clinics currently end at 8:00 pm.

If volunteers are unable to make it to a scheduled clinic date, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible. Please email Hollie Toups, Director of Pro Bono Services at htoups@vlsoct.org and let her know you have a conflict. Also, if possible, we ask that you help us by finding a substitute, like a colleague or friend.

VLS Staff Attorneys and Case Placement Coordinators vet all potential pro bono cases to gain further information from clients and make sure they are eligible for VLS services. Coordinators then will reach out to VLS attorney volunteers who have expressed an interest in handling pro bono cases to match them.

If you are interested in taking a case on which you gave advice at clinic, you can indicate that in your clinic notes. If you have already set up a Volunteer Hub profile and are interested in taking on a case, you can email the appropriate subject area case coordinator to let them know.
For family law cases, contact Martha Contreras at mcontreras@vlsoct.org.
For housing law cases, contact Sara Sanchez Alarcon at salarcon@vlsoct.org.
For all other types of cases, contact Maria Font at mfont@vlsoct.org.

An emergency case is one in which there are immediate steps/actions that need to happen to ensure legal deadlines and procedures are met in a timely manner. We are always in need of attorney volunteers who are willing to be on standby to accept these types of cases. If you are interested, please let Hollie, our Director of Program Services- know that you are willing to be contacted when emergency cases arise.
You can email Hollie, our Director of Pro Bono Services, at htoups@vlsoct.org.

Whether you are an established or a newly licensed attorney, we encourage our attorney volunteers to learn new areas of law through VLS.
We have experienced mentors available to provide support in understanding a new area of law or type of case. Additionally, VLS regularly offers CLE trainings curated to provide specific knowledge and guidance in handling VLS pro bono cases.