October 24, 2010 through October 31, 2010 is National Pro Bono Week. In recognition of National Pro Bono Week, Volunteer Attorneys for Rural Nevadans (VARN), will host a Legal Aid Fair on Saturday, October 23, 2010, from 10am to 5pm, at the Carson City Nugget, Room A, in Carson City, Nevada.
The 2008 Civil Legal Needs Assessment commissioned by the Nevada Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission reports that the ratio of persons living in poverty, to legal aid attorney in Nevada's rural counties is 5,256 persons to legal service provider, and found that there were only 6 legal aid attorneys in Carson City. VARN and Nevada Legal Services (NLS) provide free civil legal services to several hundred low-income people and victims of domestic violence in Carson City and the surrounding rural communities. Members of Carson City's legal community donate hundreds of hours in free legal services every year. Yet, there remains a huge unmet need for legal assistance by disadvantaged residents in Carson City and the rural communities in Nevada.
The Legal Aid Fair is free and is designed to inform the public of the availability of legal aid services in our community and will provide legal information to the public on a variety of civil legal matters. There will be several attorneys volunteering their time to help people at the event. Attorneys will be available to talk to people about family law matters (divorce, child custody, guardianship), debt collection, bankruptcy, small claims actions, worker's compensation matters, wills and estates, landlord/tenant and public housing matters, Social Security and Social Security Disability and other government benefits, foreclosure and other real estate matters, personal injury issues and more.
The Legal Aid Fair is sponsored by the Carson City Nugget and the First Judicial District Bar Association. To learn more about National Pro Bono Week, please visit the American Bar Association website: www.celebrateprobono.org
VARN will also hold Legal Aid Fairs in Fallon on October 27, 2010, and in Winnemucca on October 28, 2010.
For more information or to apply for legal assistance, please contact VARN at 775-883-8278 or toll free at 1-866-448-8276, or visit the VARN website at www.varn.org