Your Help is Important!

Pro Bono Opportunities at SLLS for attorneys, law students, community members and others.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill.

How attorneys can help us:

Current Opportunities for Deferred Associates/Volunteer Attorneys/Legal Fellows: 

SLLS has volunteer positions available for volunteer attorneys/deferred associates/legal fellows willing to make a commitment of three months up to a year to work on consumer or tax matters. 

Consumer Law. This deferred associate or volunteer attorney will work as part of the Consumer Law Unit. Cases may include debt protection, construction fraud and bankruptcy. 

Tax Law. This deferred associate will work with our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic staff attorney and our Oil Spill outreach team.

To Apply:  Please mail or email a cover letter & resume to:

If you or your firm wants to help with disaster-related cases, contact us at volunteer@slls.org or call Margaret Kuklewicz at (504) 529-1000, x240. Most of the 275,000 poor people that lived in our service area before it was struck by Hurricane Katrina are still dealing with legal problems which stand in the way of returning to their pre-storm lives.   

                                                                                                                        If you are an attorney on the North shore in the 22nd Judicial District and you would like to volunteer, please contact Pro Bono Coordinator Cynthia M. Bordonaro at cbordonaro@slls.org or (985) 893-0076. Find out more on our 22nd JDC Pro Bono Project page.  

The Medical-Legal Partnership project between SLLS and the Tulane Community Health Clinic at Covenant House helps people with medical issues find legal help and helps their families find legal assistance. Volunteer attorneys are needed to work on cases that come through the system. Attorneys and law students are needed to develop training materials and to do intake work at health clinics. Other volunteers are needed to help expand the reach of the program. If interested in volunteering in any capacity, e-mail volunteer@slls.org or call Margaret Kuklewicz at (504) 529-1000, x240.

Security deposit pro se clinic to help tenants recover their security deposits lawfully. Volunteers are needed to help with intake, participate in clinic sessions, and do follow-up work. E-mail volunteer@slls.org or call Margaret Kuklewicz or call (504) 529-1000, x240

Join our local Pro Bono Project, (504) 581-4043, and accept pro bono cases. We are a major supporter of the Project and refer many clients to them.

Contract with us to handle cases for a reduced fee, paid for by our firm. Call Lynnette Tillis at (504) 529-1000, ext. 225 for an application or information.

If you are a pro bono attorney, join the www.probono.net/la website and contribute helpful pleadings on poverty law issues. See news updates here.

Let us know about important legal issues affecting the poor that come to your attention.

Co-counsel with our attorneys on a pro bono basis.

Train or mentor our attorneys.

If you are a retired attorney or judge, consider volunteering at our office. (Our insurance will cover your pro bono work).

If you handle class actions or do estate planning, you have unique opportunities to help us. Consider us as a beneficiary of any class action residual funds. Recommend us to clients who ask for your advice on charities to name in their wills or estate plans.

Support our fundraising efforts and help us with a financial contribution. Your donations are tax deductible.

Volunteer to write or edit client legal education material for posting on www.LouisianaLawHelp.org, an online source of free legal information and resources, especially for low-income people. 

How Law Students Can Help Us:

Summer 2013 Law Clerk Positions Available:

SLLS will accept applications in January for 2013 summer clerkships. Law clerks help attorneys with litigation, prepare research memos and briefs, take clients through intake, and other tasks.

SLLS can not provide any financial assistance. Should you decide to work with us you are encouraged to seek outside funding. There are no specific requirements, though SLLS appreciates an applicant's sincere interest in poverty law.

To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter to Margaret Kuklewicz at volunteer@slls.org.

Other opportunities year round:

• Law students may also volunteer to work at our offices or one of our clinics. Currently, we have family, consumer and eviction clinics. You may also clerk for individual attorneys. Our domestic violence project and employment law/benefits unit always need law student volunteers.  You can also help with LawHelp.org/LA.

• Do a third year law student practitioner externship through our office.

• Apply for law school or foundation sponsored clerkships with our office.

If you are involved with a law school clinic or other public interest work for low-income people, join the Civil Law Practice Area of www.probono.net/la.

All Other Volunteers:

E-mail volunteer@slls.org or call Margaret Kuklewicz at (504) 529-1000, x240.

Support our fundraising efforts. Your donations are tax deductible.  

Social Service Agencies, Nonprofits and Governments: May We Collaborate?

We are involved in numerous collaborations with other agencies, nonprofits and governments on projects that are within our legal aid mission.

If your project or grant proposal needs a legal aid component, please call us.

Your support makes a difference! Please mail your tax-deductible donation to:

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services P.O. Drawer 2867 Hammond, Louisiana 70404