Nevada’s legal aid providers seek volunteers
LAS VEGAS – Five organizations providing legal help to Nevadans who cannot afford an attorney, along with the Access to Justice Commission, a Nevada Supreme Court-created group promoting equal civil justice, announced a statewide campaign to recruit Silver State lawyers to help Nevadans with critical legal matters.
Nevada lawyers providing pro bono can help people resolve a variety of legal troubles. The lawyers may help save a family home from foreclosure due to a job layoff or medical catastrophe, protect a child from abuse or neglect, or defend against consumer fraud or the financial abuse of a senior.
Lawyers can offer pro bono legal services through a collection of nonprofit agencies: Legal Aid of Southern Nevada, Nevada Legal Services, Northern Nevada Legal Aid, Southern Nevada Senior Law Program and Volunteer Attorneys for Rural Nevadans.
Areas of critical need include child advocacy and family law, domestic violence victim advocacy, elder assistance and consumer exploitation.
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Access to Justice reports many benefits for lawyers who volunteer pro bono.
“Providing pro bono through legal aid provides a quality experience for lawyers,” said Brad Lewis, director for the Access to Justice Commission. “Whether it’s volunteering for an Ask-a-Lawyer seminar or taking on a case, Nevada lawyers can build skills to make them a better lawyer while earning continuing legal education (CLE) credits throughout the process. But the biggest benefit we hear most from lawyers is that it feels great to help someone. Unrecognized by most, is that legal help keeps people employed, helps keep kids in school, something everyone wants.”
Lawyers working with Nevada’s legal aid providers change Nevadans’ lives for the better. Other legal aid help includes securing benefits for eligible veterans, and pairing children with legal guardians or adoptive families.
But the community need for legal representation is