Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, is pleased to announce that Michael Viola, of Shainberg & Viola, P.C, will join VIP as the new Family Law Attorney. VIP was founded in 1981 by the Philadelphia Bar Association and Community Legal Services to meet the legal needs of low-income Philadelphians by recruiting, training and supporting attorneys to provide pro bono legal services. Today, VIP’s diverse volunteers serve more than 2,500 clients annually with legal issues that affect basic human needs. With over 20 years of legal expertise and experience in family law and domestic relations, Michael will play a vital role as part of the VIP team. Michael will serve as an in-house technical advisor concentrating on the various areas of family law offered by VIP, including adoption, custody, divorce, guardianship and support. Furthermore, Michael will support VIP’s Family Law Advisory Council, which works primarily to recruit and train volunteer attorneys who take on family law cases. Finally, Michael will serve as the point person for VIP’s ground-breaking study of its divorce cases with Harvard Law School. Michael is currently a principal with Shainberg & Viola, P.C., and will maintain his private practice. In 1986, Michael attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics. Michael then graduated from Temple University School of Law in 1989 where he received his Juris Doctorate. Among the many positions Michael has held throughout his career, he currently serves on the Family Law Advisory Board of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.