Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. (Lakeland)

  • To Volunteer, Contact:
    Mary Daugherty, Attorney and Pro Bono Coordinator
    (863) 688-7376 ext. 3018

Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. is a non-profit law firm dedicated to providing quality civil legal advice, representation, and education to low income people. We have particular need for attorneys who are willing to take cases pro bono in order to assist clients who can't afford legal representation in areas like family law, guardianships, elder law, real property transactions, bankruptcy, and consumer advocacy.
Some clients need pro bono representation, some simply need guidance on how to navigate the court system as they proceed pro se.

  • County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Hardee, Highlands, Polk
  • Area of law: Civil Rights, Community Development, Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Education, Elder Law, Employment, Housing, Immigration & Naturalization, Veterans
  • Populations Served: Children, Communities of Color, Domestic Violence Victims, Elderly, Farm workers, Human Trafficking Survivors, Immigrants, Individuals with criminal histories, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Low Income, Women, Working poor and unemployed
  • Opportunities For: Interpreters, Lawyers, Mentors
  • Need for non-English services: Haitian Creole, Spanish
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Flexible
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes
  • Training Provided: No
  • Training Required: No
  • CLE credit for trainings: No
  • Training / Supervision Comments: Trainings with CLE credit are offered occasionally. Free CLE webinars are available to volunteer attorneys.
  • CLE credit for pro bono: No
  • CLE pro bono comments: Clients are pre-screened for eligibility based on income and severity of the legal problem. Requests for assistance are sent to pro bono attorneys based on the type of cases. If the attorney agrees to meet with the client and take the case, FRLS will cover malpractice insurance and out-of-pocket costs. Mentors and co-counsel can be arranged for attorneys taking on a case in a new area of law. Attorneys can also volunteer at one-time family law clinics and ask-a-lawyer clinics. Please do not hesitate to call with any questions!
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Client counseling (e.g., brief advice), Draft legal documents (e.g., briefs), Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation, Mentor volunteer lawyers or law students
  • Long Distance Opportunities: Mentor Volunteer Lawyers
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: Yes
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