Resources For Attorney Volunteers

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas offers a wide array of services to support our attorney volunteers in helping our low-income clients, including:

  • Consultants and Mentors:  VLS has attorney consultants and mentors in a variety of practice areas who are available to answer your questions. Our Staff Attorneys and Executive Director are also able to answer most questions and if they can’t, will find someone who can.
  • Free Seminars and Manuals:  All prior VLS seminar materials are available to our volunteers at no cost.  All seminars are also videotaped and available for loan at the VLS office. Our seminars are nuts and bolts type trainings designed to teach an attorney the basics of handling a case in that practice area. (Upcoming CLEs and seminars, if any, will be listed on the CLE Events page.)
  • Legal Forms:  VLS can provide volunteers with legal forms upon request. Volunteer attorneys are also welcome to use document production software available in our offices, such as ProDoc for family law documents and Legal Pro for bankruptcy cases. We also have various practice manuals from the State Bar of Texas and other helpful reference materials. The Staff Attorney and Executive Director are here to assist volunteers with their VLS cases and are happy to walk you through drafting the forms.

(COMING SOON: Downloadable forms via VLS website)

  • Free Westlaw:  On-line research through Westlaw is available at no charge to volunteers for VLS cases.
  • Malpractice insurance:  Our malpractice insurance covers any work done on any VLS pro bono case.
  • Waiver of Publication Costs: Service by publication at no charge is available for a limited number of VLS cases through the Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Chronicle.
  • Free Office Space: VLS offers office space for client meetings and mediations.
  • Other Assistance: Our Staff Attorneys can help with…
    • Obtaining waiver/reduction of service fees outside the Travis County area
    • Finding a pro bono mediator for half day mediations on VLS cases
    • Finding a pro bono court reporter when your usual court reporter is unable to assist or unavailable
    • Locating your VLS client if the need arises
    • Managing difficult clients
    • Referring your client to social service agencies in the Travis county area to address emergency or other needs of the client (e.g., shelters, social services, treatment centers, low-cost family therapists)