About
The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) represents the nation's first formal association of a state Bar with representatives of the Legal Services Corporation. This association has resulted in a professional and productive partnership which unselfishly serves the most needy of Mississippi's poor.
Even before completing its first year of operation, the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project was cited by the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association as the country's single most outstanding program among state Bar associations. This award is justifiably shared with every member of the private Bar who has volunteered their time and expertise.
Formed in 1982, the Project recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since its inception, thousands of clients have been assisted only as a result of the participation of volunteer attorneys. We are grateful to each volunteer for the sacrifices made during the year in order to make the difference in the lives of others. Without the contributions and support of our volunteers and partners, our program could not have reached out to so many Mississippians in the broader effort to achieve equal access to justice for all.
Potential clients are screened by Legal Services to determine income eligibility and legal merit. The Project completes an in-house intake and pairs the client with a volunteer attorney. After the referral is complete, the Project sends written confirmation of the referral to the volunteer lawyer, the client, and the referring Legal Services office.
Upon completion of the case, the lawyer is asked to send the file back to the MVLP along with a case closure form. Reasonable litigation expenses incurred for referred cases are paid by the Project. Expenses include:
- Witness and subpoena costs
- Long distance telephone charges
- Mileage fees
- Filing fees (in certain cases where the client cannot pay or the case cannot be filed in forma pauperis)
- Depositions via Mississippi Court Reporters Association's Pro Bono Committee
- Legal Support via the Mississippi Association of Legal Assistants' Pro Bono Committee
After the referral, the MVLP director and staff periodically review each case to ensure that the match is mutually beneficial, to update the files on the progress of the case, and to record pro bono hours contributed by the volunteer attorney. Minimum records are to be kept by the lawyers and returned to the Project at the conclusion of each case so that the lawyer will be given credit for his/her contribution and so that the final court decision can be kept with the client's MVLP file. Rule 6.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct provides an aspirational goal of 20 hours of pro bono legal assistance by members of the Bar each year or by making an annual contribution of at least $200 to The Mississippi Bar, which will be used by the Bar to provide legal services to the poor through legal aid organizations.
To assist with research, the small library of the MVLP and the libraries of the Legal Services Programs are available to the volunteer lawyer. Serving as a clearing house for memorandums, bulletins, and newsletters, the MVLP has material available on a variety of issues. To support volunteers in assisting with cases outside of their general practice area, the Delivery of Legal Services Committee chaired by attorney Ginny Munford of Watkins & Eager gathered partners and associates of several law firms concerning the pro bono need at the MVLP. To this end the MVLP Pro bono manual was developed. The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project Pro Bono Attorney Manual is a comprehensive practice manual developed through a collaboration of thirteen law firms in Mississippi, in partnership with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Mississippi Center for Justice, North Mississippi Rural Legal Services, the Mississippi Center for Justice and probono.net/ms.
The Project carries professional liability insurance on all MVLP members while working on MVLP referred cases.
Pro Bono takes many forms. In most cases, it involves acceptance of a case for simple litigation. For a great many cases, pro bono service is counseling and advice, brief telephone calls or letters on the client's behalf. Sometimes it involves being a mentor, serving as faculty for a legal education seminar, or spending one hour weekly or monthly at a neighborhood legal clinic.
Probono Net is funded by the Legal Services Corporation. The Mississippi Probono Net is access by the Mississippi Center for Legal Services, the North Mississippi Rural Legal Services and the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project.
