Triage Project

The Triage Project

The Pro Bono Triage program was created by the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation (GRBF), Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS) and “Firms in Service”, 12 Richmond law firms and legal departments, to expand the provision of civil legal services beyond the capacity of local legal aid programs. This innovative Private Bar led pro bono project identifies “Triage Champions” in critical substantive law areas where CVLAS lacked the resources to provide full representation. These Triage Champions recruit and train like-minded pro bono volunteers to join their virtual law firms in their respective practice areas. Cases are managed on JusticeServer – a volunteer portal.

If you would like to volunteer for one of our Triage practice areas, please contact Lisa Bennett, CVLAS Triage Coordinator, at lisa@cvlas.org or Shane Harper at admin@grbf.org.

About The Triage Project

Statement of the Problem

80% of high-needs individuals have no lawyer in civil cases

Legal Aid budgets are too low to provide service to all eligible clients

Rule 6.1 puts the voluntary onus on lawyers to provide pro bono service

Volunteer legal efforts are diffuse and need to be brought under a common coordination

CVLAS needs to focus its scarce resources (8 lawyers)

The Bar needs to continue to take ownership of the delivery of pro bono service

Goals of the Effort

To create a system of coordinated case referral that permits Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and the Legal Aid Justice Center to use JusticeServer^® to assign matters for qualified clients to trained pro bono lawyers within high priority practice areas.

Why you should Volunteer for Pro Bono

You will feel happier and make a difference in the world

You will provide help and hope to people who really need it

You will make the justice system work better

You will learn something and develop skills

You will be part of a pro bono community of lawyers and judges

You will meet the Virginia Bar’s Rule 6.1 which admonishes attorneys to give 2% of their annual billable hours to the provision of pro bono legal services

How to Volunteer

If interested in a practice area, contact a Champion and ask to be put on the team or contact Lisa Bennett, Attorney, and Director of Pro Bono & Triage Programs, by email or phone, lisa@cvlas.org / (804) 200-6038 or Shane Harper, Director of Administration of the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation at admin@grbf.org / (804) 780-2600 ext. 1

The Eviction Diversion Program is currently a virtual pro bono opportunity to conciliate rent repayment agreements between landlords and tenants in order to stop evictions in the City of Richmond. For more info, contact Hannah Brecklin, edp@grbf.org.

Go to www.justiceserver.org and click “Register”

Create a login & password, enter contact information, experience & bar license

Choose at least one Legal Provider- (CVLAS and GRBF) near the bottom of the registration page

Agree to terms – all pro bono work is covered by legal aid’s malpractice insurance

Once a Legal Provider approves your registration, you can log in, express interest, check conflicts & accept cases

Once a case is accepted, all case information is displayed

You can add/view case notes, attachments, important case dates, and time records

There is a pro bono experience that is right for you whether you are new to the practice of law or a veteran, whether your comfort zone is litigation or transactional work, or whether you have only a finite number of hours per week.