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Federal Government Pro Bono Program Volunteer Guide: New Hampshire

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the Federal Government Pro Bono Program! Thank you for your interest in using your legal skills to better your community and fulfill your professional duties through pro bono activities. We hope we can help you find an appropriate opportunity with which to get involved.

This Pro Bono Volunteer Guide provides easy access to information about the rules governing federal employees’ engagement in pro bono activities, as well as descriptions of numerous local legal services organizations that regularly offer pro bono opportunities that are generally appropriate for federal government attorneys and legal staff, in that they are generally free of conflicts of interest and offer substantial resources that will help you to succeed. Because each federal agency has its own regulations and procedures, it is important that you discuss any pro bono project with your agency’s pro bono coordinator or ethics officer before starting to volunteer. Many agencies have a specific pro bono policy that can guide you through these rules and any approval procedures that may be required.

Throughout the year, our program offers events and activities to assist you, including trainings to prepare you to volunteer, opportunities where federal attorneys and legal staff members can volunteer together, and information sessions on various topics relevant to pro bono practice. If you would like to get involved in the development of these ideas or have questions about pro bono activities generally, please contact the Federal Government Pro Bono Program at probono@usdoj.gov.

For decades, federal government attorneys and legal staff have been active in outside pro bono work. We look forward to working with you to carry on this powerful tradition of volunteering our legal skills.

Sincerely,

Pro Bono Program Manager
Federal Government Pro Bono Program

Frequently Asked Questions about Engaging in Pro Bono Activities as a Federal Government Employee

Get answers to some of the frequently asked questions about federal government attorneys and legal staff doing pro bono work. Find information on definitions and limitations, use of positions and agency resources, conflicts of interest, and more.

Go to FAQ

Providing Pro Bono Legal Services in New Hampshire as an Out-of-State Attorney

Currently, only attorneys licensed in NH may practice law in the state, and there is no exception for pro bono work. However, the NH Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission is considering a rule change that would authorize some attorneys who are not licensed in NH to provide pro bono services in NH if they meet specific eligibility requirements. This rule change would then be considered by the NH Supreme Court through its rulemaking process. Attorneys barred in other states can assist in pro bono work that does not involve unauthorized practice of law, such as conducting intake at a clinic or providing legal information in schools or other settings.

Yes. NH Supreme Court Rule 35 allows paraprofessionals to make court appearances on behalf of clients, including pro bono, in certain instances. See https://www.courts.nh.gov/rules-supreme-court-state-new-hampshire/rule-35-appearances-court-eligible-paraprofessionals. An attorney supervising a paraprofessional under Rule 35 must be a member in good standing of the NH Bar and have professional liability insurance that includes coverage for the paraprofessional. In addition, the supervising attorney must file with the clerk of the supreme court an agreement to provide such supervision, in accordance with NH Bar Rule 35(4)(a). The paraprofessional needs to provide written notice to the pro bono client that he or she is a non-attorney acting under supervision of an attorney. Paraprofessionals may also provide pro bono legal services through attorney supervised support work, consistent with the NH Rules of Professional Conduct. For more information about Rule 35, please contact Sarah Mattson Dustin at New Hampshire Legal Assistance. 

For more information, contact the Federal Government Pro Bono Program at probono@usdoj.gov.

Legal Services Organizations

The following legal services organizations have been screened by the Federal Government Pro Bono Program and have been determined to offer pro bono opportunities that are generally appropriate for federal government attorneys and legal staff.

  • Individual volunteers are still responsible for seeking approval to participate from their agencies, including any necessary review for conflicts of interest.
  • Employees should remember that they are prohibited from acting as an agent or attorney for any person before any agency, department, or court in any matter in which the United States has a direct and substantial interest.
  • Employees also should understand that they are acting in their individual capacities and not as representatives of their agencies and should act accordingly in all pro bono work.
  • Federal government attorneys may not ask support staff colleagues to assist them with their pro bono matters. If you are a federal government attorney and would like to request assistance, or are a support staff member interested in assisting with pro bono matters, contact the Federal Government Pro Bono Program at probono@usdoj.gov.
  • The Federal Government Pro Bono Program does not endorse or recommend any of the organizations listed and is not responsible for the content of the organizations’ linked websites.

Administer Justice Saturday Legal Clinic

Administer Justice (AJ) partners with attorneys and legal staff to provide the help of a lawyer to vulnerable neighbors. Administer Justice is a Christian legal aid with all its centers are located in churches. It has developed and refined the Gospel Justice Center model for over 20 years, with now 114 locations around the country. Each center operates once a month for 3-4 hours and is run by a team of volunteers who provide administrative support for the attorneys and holistic, wrap-around social and spiritual support for the clients. 

Kinds of Cases Offered

Attorneys may serve in-person or remotely as part of a team of volunteers who provide administrative support for the attorneys and holistic care for the clients once a month. The attorneys provide brief advice and referrals on civil legal matters in 45-minute client appointments. Each attorney is scheduled with up to 3 clients. 

Before assigning a matter to a volunteer attorney, the Administer Justice Clinic coordinator screens it for the types of issues it involves, including for whether there is a potential conflict for federal government attorneys. 

Applicable Timing & Location Information

The legal clinic at Christ the King Gospel Justice Center runs every second Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., located at 72 S Main St, Concord, NH. Clinic appointments are arranged in advance and so the volunteer will generally have notice of the type of issue the walk-in client needs assistance with and occasionally documents to review in advance as well. 

AJ also offers non-attorney volunteer roles for paralegals and legal professionals such as intake, hospitality, and follow-up specialist.

Training

Administer Justice provides online, on-demand training as well as resources and mentoring so as to make serving easy. Volunteers who are interested can take a 2-hour training course and then are eligible to volunteer.

Mentoring and Other Support

  • Mentoring – Provided by experienced Administer Justice Clinic coordinator, staff and/or other volunteers. 

Bar Membership Requirement

Attorney volunteers must be licensed in New Hampshire. However, bar membership is not required to volunteer for intake or hospitality roles.

Malpractice Insurance

Administer Justice makes malpractice insurance available to all of its pro bono volunteers.

Contact

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire provides a voice for children and youth who have experienced abuse and neglect by empowering a statewide network of trained volunteers to advocate on their behalf so they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.

Kinds of Cases Offered

CASA of New Hampshire recruits, trains, and supervises volunteer guardians ad litem who serve as court-appointed best interest advocates for child victims of abuse and neglect. To volunteer, those interested should apply using CASA of NH’s online application.

Applicable Timing & Location Information

Volunteer guardians ad litem spend about 10-15 hours a month on their case, with more time spent in the first 90 days of the case assignment. They stay with the case until the child is in a safe, permanent home or another permanent solution is in place.

Training

CASA-NH training for volunteer advocates is a comprehensive, 40-hour course. Participants can participate in virtual, in person and hybrid trainings on Zoom platform and/or Google Classroom. CASA volunteer advocates continue to receive support and guidance after training is complete.

Mentoring and Other Support

  • Mentoring – Volunteers will be assigned an advocate supervisor and peer mentor to support their casework along the way.
  • Other support – 40-hour course, prior to being assigned a case. Ongoing training on issues impacting families in the child protection system and legal updates and advocate support groups. CASA also has 3 Staff Attorneys who support volunteers when needed.
  • Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses – Not available through CASA.
  • Resource bank – CASA has a “Volunteer Toolbox” that has court report samples and templates and training videos. 

Bar Membership Requirement

Volunteers need not be attorneys nor be licensed to practice law.

Malpractice Insurance

CASA of NH does not provide malpractice insurance for volunteers as the skills and services are not the practice of law.

Contact

603 Legal Aid

603 Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Program is the link connecting low-income Granite Staters with volunteer attorneys. No matter your level of experience or your area of expertise, you can make a difference. The staff at 603 Legal Aid will be there to support you and ensure you have the training and materials needed to assist our clients.

Kinds of Cases Offered

603LA operates a successful Eviction Defense Clinic for tenants in need of assistance navigating housing eviction matters. The Clinic is held every Tuesday at Concord District Court starting at 12:30 p.m. and ending around 3:30 p.m. At this Clinic you will have the opportunity to provide advice and counsel to tenants in need, negotiate settlements, and potentially even represent clients in the courtroom.

Volunteers may also participate in 603LA’s Domestic Violence Emergency Project (DOVE), which, in partnership with the State’s Crisis Centers, assists victims of domestic violence or stalking in obtaining civil protective orders. Volunteers are called upon to provide representation at final hearings, often with short notice due to the expedited nature of these matters.

Applicable Timing & Location Information

603LA’s offices are located at 93 North State Street, Suite 200, Concord, NH 03301. Volunteer opportunities occur throughout the state, as volunteers are available, or Clinics are scheduled.

Training

603LA will support volunteers to ensure they have the training, materials, mentors, and materials needed to assist clients looking for help. Every fall, 603LA’s DOVE Project offers a training on civil orders for domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault survivors. This training is free for attorneys volunteering to take at least two DOVE cases a year.

Mentoring and Other Support

  • Mentoring – A 603 Legal Aid staff or experienced volunteer will mentor new attorney volunteers.
  • Other support – 603 Legal Aid provides case support from its Pro Bono team. See Pro Bono Overview — 603 Legal Aid for details. 
  • Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses – 603LA has limited resources to reimburse some expenses related to representation.
  • Office resources – Volunteers can coordinate with 603 Legal Aid staff about use of its office space and printer/scanner, etc., as needed.
  • Resource bank – 603 Legal Aid provides toolkits and written resources on substantive legal topics that volunteers may access as needed.
  • CLE credit – Attorneys volunteering for cases or at clinics through 603LA may claim up to three hundred and sixty (360) general minutes of continuing legal education (CLE) credit per reporting period at the rate of sixty (60) CLE minutes for every 300 billable-equivalent minutes of pro bono representation provided to a client. 

Bar Membership Requirement

Attorney volunteers must be licensed in New Hampshire. Paralegal or legal professionals may volunteer to assist with cases as provided for under New Hampshire Supreme Court Rule 35.

Malpractice Insurance

603 Legal Aid makes malpractice insurance available to all of its pro bono volunteers.

Contact

New Hampshire Bar Association

New Hampshire Bar Association (NHBA) serves the legal community, court system and public at large in New Hampshire, in part by providing attorneys with opportunities to serve through programs such as the NHBA Lawyer Referral Service Modest Means Program, NH Free Legal Answers, LawLine, and Bar Board and committee participation.

Kinds of Cases Offered

New Hampshire Bar Association (NHBA) offers a Civics & Law Outreach Program, a program which serves thousands of New Hampshire students as a tool to help youth better prepare for civic participation. Civics & Law Outreach provides curriculum, classroom resources, educational opportunities, interactive projects with attorneys, law firms and schools across New Hampshire. NH bar members can volunteer with students through an NHBA program, or, if they have a relationship with a school in their community, NHBA can assist them with a lesson plan. 

NHBA also facilitiates LawLine. LawLine is a free brief legal advice service offered by the New Hampshire Bar Association on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00-8:00 PM. Participants receive a telephone call from a volunteer attorney who will offer up to 15 minutes of free legal advice. To volunteer for LawLine, please contact the LawLine coordinator at lawline@nhbar.org.

Applicable Timing & Location Information

As described above, the Civic & Law Outreach Program operates during the school year and school day at various times and locations, depending on the school site and volunteer availability. The NHBA LawLine volunteer opportunity is virtual and operates on second Wednesday evenings.

Training

The NHBA has partners with other stakeholders on Civics Bootcamp trainings.

Mentoring and Other Support

  • Mentoring – There is a mentorship program that is not connected to these opportunities.

Bar Membership Requirement

New Hampshire Bar Association programs are only open to members. Attorney volunteers must be licensed in New Hampshire currently.

Malpractice Insurance

NHBA currently does not provide malpractice insurance for its volunteers. Federal attorney volunteers should be sure to have their own malpractice insurance if participating in a role that provides legal advice or counsel. For volunteering in the Civic & Law Outreach Program, this is not needed as that opportunity does not include the practice of law. 

Contact

New Hampshire Legal Assistance

New Hampshire Legal Assistance provides civil legal aid primarily in the practice areas of housing, domestic violence/family law, and public benefits. NHLA does not operate a pro bono program and encourages attorneys interested in volunteering to participate in 603 Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Program (See above). 

Contact

Veterans Legal Justice New Hampshire

Veterans Legal Justice  (VLJ) is a New Hampshire nonprofit that, after a careful intake process by one of our trained lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers, matches veterans, service members and both their families (hereinafter veterans) with NH licensed attorneys for pro bono or reduced fee assistance. Originally founded in 2014 as Legal Boots on the Ground, the project went on hiatus during Covid. VLJ was revitalized on Veterans Day 2022. Since then, VLJ has done over 900 intakes and placed over 500 veterans with lawyers. After a veteran reaches out to us, one of our trained volunteers conducts a telephone intake, often providing referrals to pro bono lawyers. Currently, our greatest need is for intake volunteers, which can be done by lawyers or non-lawyers, or NH-barred pro bono attorneys willing to accept a referral case.

Kinds of Cases Offered

Veterans Legal Justice (VLJ) facilitates intakes for veterans dealing with virtually every area of the law, primarily civil, and in particular family law and housing law matters.

Applicable Timing & Location Information

The overwhelming number of intakes are done by telephone so volunteers can help from any location and at times convenient to the volunteer. Those intakes are then forwarded to VLJ’s ProBono manager for referral to lawyers.

Training

Volunteers are trained by VLJ staff in advance of assisting with clinics, either virtually or in person. All volunteers will be trained on military culture, the NH legal system and VLJ policies and procedures.

Mentoring and Other Support

  • Mentoring – Experienced VLJ staff will mentor volunteers and provide guidance. 

Bar Membership Requirement

Attorneys barred outside of New Hampshire, paralegals or legal professionals may volunteer for intake at the clinics. Attorney volunteers, if handling a referred pro bono representational case, must be licensed in New Hampshire.

Malpractice Insurance

Currently, Veterans Legal Justice is not able to make malpractice insurance available to all of its pro bono volunteers. However, for attorneys barred outside of New Hampshire, paralegals and legal professionals conducting only intake, this should not be an issue. Federal attorney volunteers should be sure to have their own malpractice insurance if participating in a role that provides legal advice or counsel.

Contact

Updated October 1, 2026