Volunteer

Attorney Volunteers

Every year active and retired attorneys volunteer at NSLAC. We are looking for licensed Illinois attorneys who are in good standing with the ARDC. Inactive and retired attorneys are also welcome. You can practice law under NSLAC if you complete the necessary paperwork for submission to the ARDC. Both short-term and long-term commitments are needed, and NSLAC will work with you to determine the best volunteer fit. Malpractice insurance is provided for all volunteers.

Opportunities include the following:

Case Placement

Represent clients in their immigration, domestic violence, and housing cases. After a thorough initial screening, cases that become available for placement will be shared with our registered volunteers. We will provide you with access to our case management system and training on how to use it, other training if required, and mentorship on all cases.

Clinics

Our clinics provide in-person, or virtual, limited engagement services. Volunteers provide advice and services on the day of the clinic only. We provide training for all clinics in advance of working with clients. Depending on the clinic, it will be done remotely live some time before the clinic, the day of the clinic in-person, or will be a recorded training available to volunteers. Many of our trainings have Illinois CLE credit. This is a great opportunity for attorneys to learn a new area of law while serving low-income individuals. Attorneys will meet with individuals who have made appointments for the clinic. These events require anywhere between 2-4 hours of volunteer time.

See below for our regular clinics. Additional types of clinics will be organized where there is demonstrated need.

• Power of Attorney Clinics
  NSLAC has been providing POA clinics to the community since 2018. We work with multiple different stakeholders, including, but not limited to, senior centers, public libraries, and community colleges, to bring this service to neighbors in need. Additional types of clinics will be organized where there is demonstrated need.
• Virtual Housing Consultation Clinics: Security Deposits
  We are looking for Illinois-licensed pro bono attorneys to assist renters by offering security deposit advice at a regularly scheduled monthly clinic.  This is a 100% remote opportunity.  The volunteer attorney will be providing advice only or, at most, a demand letter to be sent to the former landlord should the deposit be due.  Expanded involvement may be considered should an attorney have particular interest in a case or client. Previous housing law experience is appreciated, but not required.
• Naturalization Clinics
  We partner with public libraries and other community organizations to provide naturalization screening clinics. These clinics are typically 2-3 hours, where volunteer attorneys conduct a 1-hour legal screening using our intake form to determine eligibility for naturalization and/or any red flags that need to be addressed by staff. The client is then given advice about next best steps and if they are eligible for naturalization, we can take them in-house to complete the process.

Thank you for your interest in the Advocacy Committee. At this time, the committee is full, but we appreciate your support and encourage you to explore other ways to get involved with NSLAC.

The Advocacy Committee is an ad‐hoc committee with goals of advancing local, state, and national legislation, policy, and funding that enhance opportunities for those in need of access to justice in the areas of domestic violence, housing, and immigration in Illinois with a particular emphasis on north suburban Cook County and throughout Lake County. Members of the Advocacy Committee serve in an advisory role to advise the Board of Directors and staff on policy and legislative issues related to the work of NSLAC and provide recommendations for responding to requests from legislators and government bodies. For more information, email info@NSLegalAid.org.

Volunteers in Action