We also have a Volunteer Attorney Program of attorneys who donate their time to work on Cases. If you are interested in volunteering for this program, please fill out the volunteer form on this site. If you have any questions, please call Erin Noelle Guven, Director of Pro Bono Affairs, at 914-949-1305, ext. 116.

The Pro-Bono Volunteer Program for Attorneys::
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley is seeking attorneys to volunteer in assisting needy residents of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange and Sullivan counties who would otherwise not receive necessary legal services. The programs’ primary goal is to provide high quality volunteer legal assistance in civil cases to low-income people through the organized participation of the private bar.

Assignment Of Cases :: We will contact a participating attorney before referring a pro bono case.  We ask that the attorney accept up to 2 cases a year. The attorney is not referred a second case until the first is completed. Cases are usually referred to attorneys from the same area in which the client resides.

Client Eligibility :: Client must be low income in accordance with the national poverty level as annually adjusted by the Federal Office of Management and Budget.

Types Of Cases :: The Volunteer Attorney Program handles civil matters that cannot be handled by Legal Services of the Hudson Valley staff because of limited resources. These include certain family problems, consumer issues, tort defenses, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, and wills.

The Volunteer Attorney Program does not handle juvenile matters, criminal cases, or traffic violations. Since many more clients apply for the Volunteer Attorney Program than there are lawyers available, efforts are made to refer high priority cases first. Attorneys indicate the cased types they would prefer to handle.

Case Follow-Up :: During the case and at the conclusion of the matter, we ask the attorney to submit case updates and a final case disposition form.  These simple forms include a summary of the services rendered, case outcome, and pro bono hours spent on the case. These reports insure that the Volunteer Attorney Program runs smoothly. At the conclusion of the case, the client receives a satisfaction questionnaire to provide feedback regarding the legal services performed.

CLE Credit:: An attorney is eligible to receive one CLE Credit for every six 50 minute increments spent on the case. For instance, in a case in which an attorney spent 30 hours, he/she would be entitled to 6 CLE Credits.