Pro Bono Opportunities for Attorneys
Nevada Legal Services offers many alternatives for attorneys looking to work pro bono on behalf of low income people throughout Nevada. If you are interested in volunteering for one of our offices in any capacity, please contact Renee Kelly, our Pro Bono Coordinator, at (775) 284-3491.
Please scroll through the list of available options to see what best fits your needs!
Clinic Presentations
Nevada Legal Services holds various clinics throughout Nevada on a monthly basis. These clinics range from assisting individuals filing pleadings pro se to giving a presentation on a variety of legal topics. If you are interested in simply donating a few hours of your time, please contact us to sign up to volunteer at one of our clincis or educational seminars. For a current schedule and list of seminars, please visit our News/Events page.
Tenant's Rights Center
The Tenant's Rights Center provides legal advice and brief service to tenants regarding a wide range of issues, including evictions, HOA issues, habitability issues, utility shutoffs, and illegal lockouts. Volunteers at the Center provide legal advice and brief service to the tenants who either call or simply walk into the Center. NLS staff provides training on Residential Landlord-Tenant Law, mentoring, and supervision. The Center is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Volunteers are welcome at any time during the week that best suits their schedule. The Center is located in Las Vegas and serves Clark County.
Senior Helpline
The Senior Helpline provides legal advice and brief service to Seniors throughout Nevada. Helpline staff members provide assistance in a wide range of issues, including consumer law, fraud and scams, health law issues, family law issues, estate planning, and housing issues. Volunteer to assist the Helpline and provide legal advice and brief service to Helpline callers. NLS staff will provide training, mentoring, and supervision. The Senior Helpline is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Volunteers are welcome at any time during the week that best suits their schedule and can even provide assistance by telephone from your own office. NLS can simply transfer calls to the volunteers.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
The LITC provides legal assistance to individuals with tax cases and controversies. Volunteer to assist our LITC to provide legal assistance to individuals by negotiating settlements with the IRS, preparing or amending tax returns for past years, or representing individuals in Tax Court. Individuals who qualify for the LITC are those with tax liabilities of less than $50,000 and household incomes of less than 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. Volunteers are needed from around Nevada for this program.
Mortgage Foreclosure Program
NLS receives grant funding from the government to provide foreclosure counseling to low income homeowners having trouble paying their mortgage. Volunteer to help out a Nevada homeowner facing foreclosure. By taking a case the volunteer attorney will negotiate with lender to refinance or modify a mortgage, advise the homeowner regarding bankruptcy, or assist the homeowner in the new Nevada Mediation Program.
Additionally, volunteer attorneys may agree to take a case to review loan documents where a client alleges the lender or servicer engaged in fraudulent activity or there is a potential legal issue regarding the mortgage. After analyzing the case for potential legal defenses, the volunteer simply can refer the case to Nevada Legal Services for potential further assistance. Volunteers are always welcome to take on a case where legal defenses are present, but are not required to do so. NLS will provide any training or mentoring requested by the volunteer. Volunteers for our Mortgage Foreclosure Program will be needed throughout Nevada.
Reduced Fee Panel
Nevada Legal Services maintains a reduced fee panel of Pro Bono attorneys for Washoe and Elko Counties. Each case is initially approved for up to 2 hours of assistance and NLS reimburses the volunteer for his or her time at $75 per hour. The assistance provided can only be to provide legal advice or to prepare or review of pro se documents for the client. If the volunteer sees a need for further assistance to the client, NLS can approve an additional 10 hours of service for extended representation. The volunteer is still reimbursed for their time at $75 per hour and reimbursed for possible litigation costs. Currently, the NLS reduced fee panel is made up of attorneys who take family law cases. NLS can expand the types of cases referred to fit the volunteer’s areas of preference.
Volunteer to Co-Counsel
If none of the above options work for you, NLS is always looking for attorneys willing to work with our staff to co-counsel on cases or provide much needed expertise in fields in which we might not normally practice. Simply give us a call and let us know how you would like to help our staff.
