U.S. Department
of Justice
Federal Government Pro Bono Program Volunteer Guide: North Texas
- Dear Colleagues Letter
- Frequently Asked Questions about Engaging in Pro Bono Activities as a Federal Government Employee
- Legal Services Organizations
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.
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.
Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program
1515 Main Street, Dallas, Texas 75201
http://dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org/
Contact Mariséla Martin, Community Engagement Coordinator, at martinm@lanwt.org or 214-243-2243
The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) is an organization dedicated to increasing and enhancing pro bono legal services to the poor in Dallas through the recruitment, training, and support of volunteer attorneys. DVAP is a joint program of the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas created in 1997 when both organizations merged their previously separate pro bono programs to create one cohesive effort.
Opportunities Offered: DVAP volunteers provide advice and full representation in a variety of cases, including family, housing, landlord-tenant, real property, consumer, wills, expunctions and non-disclosures, probate, and more. Attorney volunteers are needed to do the following: Provide legal advice to people in need; Accept legal cases for full representation; Mentor other attorneys on their pro bono cases; Volunteer at the DVAP office; Make juvenile law presentations to at-risk youth and their parents; Assist applicants with completing paperwork at clinics, and more.
DVAP also has opportunities for paralegals at the in-person legal clinics. Paralegals often assist with income screening of applicants, translation services, and other general tasks as assigned at each in-person location.
In addition, DVAP offers weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly clinics in several Dallas neighborhoods. Almost every day of the week, there’s a new clinic at which you may volunteer. What’s more, the clinics start at 5 p.m. to allow for work outside normal business hours. The schedule and addresses can be found here: http://dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org/get-help/
Malpractice insurance: Yes, DVAP provides malpractice insurance.
Training: Training is available for all opportunities in a variety of forms.
Supervision/Mentoring: New volunteer attorneys are provided support and mentoring at all levels. DVAP has two on-staff mentor attorneys whose role is to assist pro bono attorneys. DVAP also host monthly trainings via Zoom for all volunteers.
Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
600 East Weatherford Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Offices Throughout North Texas—Find Locations at www.legalaidtx.org
Contact Sam Prince, Director of Development at princes@lanwt.org or 817.339.5334
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) offers free civil legal assistance to low-income Texans who wouldn't otherwise be able to secure such legal representation. Originally incorporated in 1951 as Fort Worth Legal Foundation, LANWT is a nonprofit legal aid organization based in Fort Worth, Texas. One of three LSC-funded legal aid programs in Texas (along with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Lone Star Legal Aid), LANWT is the fifth-largest legal aid program in the United States. LANWT serve low-income residents in 114 counties in North and West Texas with 15 branch offices located in Abilene, Amarillo, Brownwood, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Lubbock, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plainview, San Angelo, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wichita Falls.
Opportunities Offered: LANWT is able to represent clients in any type of civil matter with a focus on: Support for Families; Preserving the Home; Maintaining Economic Stability; Safety, Stability, and Health; Individuals with Special Needs, and; Problems Affecting Groups of Individuals. You can help by volunteering at one of LANWT’s many legal clinics by interviewing prospective clients, taking cases for representation, or providing legal advice and counsel. LANWT provides opportunities in offices all over the North Texas area. LANWT asks that attorneys interested in offering legal services sign up through their website here: https://give.legalaidtx.org/web_forms/802-volunteer-sign-up. Volunteers will contact you and provide you with information on opportunities available that fit your schedule.
Malpractice insurance: Yes, LANWT provides malpractice insurance.
Training: LANWT offers training in all areas.
Supervision/Mentoring: New volunteer attorneys are provided support and mentoring at all levels.
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
For many veterans, just getting a chance to talk one on one with a lawyer can relieve a huge burden. Too often, veterans don’t have the resources, financial or otherwise, to seek and retain legal counsel. Through the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans initiative, the State Bar of Texas works with veterans legal clinics to provide legal assistance to the military veterans in your area who cannot afford or do not have access to the legal services they need.
Veterans legal clinics are the primary component of Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, and they offer local bar associations and legal aid organizations the opportunity to provide veterans in their communities with the basic civil legal assistance they need. Veterans’ legal needs vary, but many common issues which are appropriate for federal government volunteers include Child Support, Consumer/Contracts, Divorce or Custody/Guardianship/Probate, Landlord/Tenant, Wills/Estate Planning, Employment, and Housing.
Opportunities Offered: TLTV provides consultation and legal counseling in family law, consumer/finance law, probate law, estate planning, landlord/tenant law, and other legal matters.
Special Note: Federal volunteers may not provide assistance regarding veterans’ benefits. Such activities pose a direct conflict of interest and would place federal attorneys at odds with the federal government. Volunteers should be careful to avoid assisting clients at these clinics who have questions about those issues.
Malpractice insurance: Many of the clinics connected with TLTV offer malpractice insurance because they are organized through established legal services organizations. Be sure to verify that the clinic you select offers malpractice insurance.
Training: TLTV offers training in all areas.
Supervision/Mentoring: New volunteer attorneys are provided support and mentoring at all levels.