About VLN Mission and Vision VLN’s mission is to protect and promotes the basic needs of people in poverty through the power of legal volunteers. VLN envisions a society in which everyone has equal access to the legal services essential for stability and well-being. VLN is one of the largest independent and oldest pro bono (volunteer-based) organizations in the country and recognized as a national leader in program development and best practices (including in innovative programming, collaborations with social services providers and outcomes measurement). VLN engages the vast resources of the private bar to help these people meet basic human needs, including sustenance, shelter, safety, and family relationships. VLN staff members recruit and train volunteer attorneys, match client needs with appropriate legal specialties, and work strategically with like-minded community partners to craft innovative, cost-effective solutions to ongoing and emerging legal issues facing people living in poverty. VLN also works to increase awareness of the fact that everyone has legal rights, that remedies for injustice are available to everyone, and that VLN and other legal service organizations stand ready to help. In 2015, more than 1000 dedicated volunteer attorneys provided 9,000 legal services, impacting more than 22,000 lives. How VLN works Attorneys complete a registration form, including telling us in which areas of law they would like to help and what level of service (e.g., legal advice clinics, forms completion seminars, extended representation, mentoring, etc.) () We accept eligible clients for services through our Client Intake Line and various community clinics. (Eligibility depends on issue, income, and county.) We provide trainings to attorneys on various issues impacting people in poverty. We connect attorneys with individuals and families who need their help. We track services and outcomes to share with our stakeholders. Holistic Services at VLN VLN staff members are constantly striving to improve the impact of our work. This includes being as strategic as possible with the resources we have, so that we can ensure that everyone has access to the legal services necessary for stability and well-being. Under our current strategic plan, our top goals are to: Deliver high quality legal services more effectively and to more people in need. Increase our financial and volunteer resources to address the critical needs in our community. Strengthen our organizational capacity to meet the challenges ahead.
About VLN Mission and Vision VLN’s mission is to protect and promotes the basic needs of people in poverty through the power of legal volunteers. VLN envisions a society in which everyone has equal access to the legal services essential for stability and well-being. VLN is one of the largest independent and oldest pro bono (volunteer-based) organizations in the country and recognized as a national leader in program development and best practices (including in innovative programming, collaborations with social services providers and outcomes measurement). VLN engages the vast resources of the private bar to help these people meet basic human needs, including sustenance, shelter, safety, and family relationships. VLN staff members recruit and train volunteer attorneys, match client needs with appropriate legal specialties, and work strategically with like-minded community partners to craft innovative, cost-effective solutions to ongoing and emerging legal issues facing people living in poverty. VLN also works to increase awareness of the fact that everyone has legal rights, that remedies for injustice are available to everyone, and that VLN and other legal service organizations stand ready to help. In 2015, more than 1000 dedicated volunteer attorneys provided 9,000 legal services, impacting more than 22,000 lives. How VLN works Attorneys complete a registration form, including telling us in which areas of law they would like to help and what level of service (e.g., legal advice clinics, forms completion seminars, extended representation, mentoring, etc.) () We accept eligible clients for services through our Client Intake Line and various community clinics. (Eligibility depends on issue, income, and county.) We provide trainings to attorneys on various issues impacting people in poverty. We connect attorneys with individuals and families who need their help. We track services and outcomes to share with our stakeholders. Holistic Services at VLN VLN staff members are constantly striving to improve the impact of our work. This includes being as strategic as possible with the resources we have, so that we can ensure that everyone has access to the legal services necessary for stability and well-being. Under our current strategic plan, our top goals are to: Deliver high quality legal services more effectively and to more people in need. Increase our financial and volunteer resources to address the critical needs in our community. Strengthen our organizational capacity to meet the challenges ahead.
VOLUNTEER-HANDBOOK-Jan-2017.docx