Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project

Since 1990, the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) has worked to ensure that the legal system is accessible to residents of Brooklyn who, because of special needs or the overwhelming burdens of poverty, would not otherwise have their rights protected or their voices heard.

The VLP provides direct civil legal services to residents of Brooklyn living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, assisting them to overcome life-altering legal challenges, including family breakdowns, overwhelming debt, immigration status, threatened homelessness, and ongoing predatory practices that overwhelmingly target the poor, the elderly and the disabled. Recognizing that the pro bono commitment of the private bar can be most effective and efficient in accessing justice for the poor, the VLP trains and supervises volunteer attorneys, law students and other legal professionals who, with the support of the VLP, provide high quality, compassionate direct legal representation, advice and counsel and community education throughout Brooklyn.