For forty years, the Saturday Lawyer Program – AVLF’s oldest and largest program – has provided low-income Atlantans with access to volunteer attorneys and offered volunteer attorneys a chance to do meaningful pro bono work. AVLF has recently begun soliciting community sponsors from beyond the legal community to help make each Saturday successful.
What is community sponsorship?
Community Sponsorship is a volunteer opportunity for corporations and organizations to sponsor a day of service through Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s Saturday Lawyer Program.
The Saturday Lawyer Program, an Atlanta institution over 40 years old, is a clinic that takes place at our downtown office on most Saturday mornings. This program assists low-income Atlanta residents with landlord-tenant disputes and unpaid wage claims. After a short training at 9:00 a.m., volunteer attorneys interview one or two potential clients. The clinic ends around 12:30pm.
How does it work?
On the third Saturday of every month, AVLF will have two legal sponsors and one community sponsor for a Saturday clinic. The legal sponsors provide volunteer attorneys who will lead the client interviews. On their scheduled date, the community sponsor provides 5-15 volunteers from their company or organization and also sponsor breakfast for AVLF clients. Community Sponsor volunteers will assist with organizing and scanning client documents, greeting clients, and assisting the attorney with client interviews. Community Sponsors can choose to sponsor one or multiple Saturdays per year.
AVLF will assist with recruitment by providing you with marketing materials and making a presentation in your office, at a meeting, or during an event.
Who can participate?
Any corporation or organization that is looking for volunteer opportunities. No legal experience is required!
BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP
Building a culture of service within your organization
Providing vital services to Atlanta residents who are in need
Gaining skills in client communications and client interviewing
Training on landlord-tenant law in Georgia
Networking with legal professionals
If your company or organization is interested in being a Community Sponsor, please contact Susan Leonard, AVLF’s Volunteer Engagement Manager, at sleonard@avlf.org and (470)694-2888.
