1/24 deadline – do pro bono work from home

[Pro Bono]

LawHelpNY is looking for volunteers to provide people with legal issues with resources written in plain language about their legal problem and/or by helping identify a free legal aid organization for representation or advice. You provide legal information and referrals, not legal advice.

LiveHelp is staffed primarily by law students, law graduates, and volunteer attorneys, under the supervision of a LawHelpNY staff attorney. LiveHelp volunteers are required to commit to at least one weekly, three-hour shift for the duration of their service. LiveHelp is offered Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm. Staffing is broken up into four, 3-hour shifts: 9am to 12pm, 12pm to 3pm, 3pm to 6pm, and 6pm to 9pm.

Due to the significant investment in training and administration for each volunteer, it is expected that volunteers will commit to at least 50 hours of pro bono service as a LiveHelp operator. Additionally, volunteers must complete all training within the first 2 weeks of their start date.

Volunteers are required to participate in a one-hour training session follow-up trainings on the LawHelpNY website, the chat software, and the important distinction between providing legal information and legal advice. You also do a sample chat. Trainingsa lso touch on the civil legal issues most frequently inquired about on LawHelpNY, such as family and housing law. Volunteers will also be asked to handle chats as they relate to the Crime Victims Legal Network.

Volunteers work from their own computer, in any location where they can reliably access the internet. Volunteers are supervised by LawHelpNY staff, who periodically review transcripts of chats. Volunteers are responsible for tracking their own time and reporting that to LawHelpNY. At the end of their service, volunteers are asked to complete an exit survey. Upon satisfactory completion of the requisite number of hours and the exit survey, LawHelpNY will complete any required paperwork necessary to satisfy the pro bono requirement of the New York State Bar or your law school

To apply, complete the LiveHelp Volunteer Application and email your resume to Dennis Brink at dbrink@nylawhelp.org by 11:59 pm on Friday, January 24th, 2020. The volunteer start dates will be staggered beginning in March through April, though training will begin in February. If you have any questions about the program, please email Aimee Latorre, the LiveHelp Program Coordinator, at alatorre@nylawhelp.org.

LiveHelp Volunteer Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... g/viewform