LawWorks offers free legal services to nonprofits

Posted by on November 07, 2011

LawWorks offers free legal services to nonprofits

Why navigate the legal system by yourself?

LawWorks, a project of Philadelphia VIP, refers eligible community organizations and established nonprofits to private sector lawyers who provide legal services for free.

LawWorks volunteers are able to assist on a variety of legal issues regularly faced by community groups and nonprofits: employment matters, landlord-tenant issues, zoning changes, purchasing/selling real estate, protecting trademarks, and reviewing contracts.

LawWorks also holds seminars taught by volunteer attorneys on topics relevant to nonprofits, and sends out quarterly e-issue alerts with helpful information for nonprofits.

Groups that are eligible for LawWorks services include established nonprofits, community groups, and start-ups that wish to achieve nonprofit status.  The group’s goals must be to benefit low-income persons or communities or otherwise benefit Philadelphia’s public interest. The group must be able to demonstrate that the organization is unable to pay for legal services without significant impairment of program resources.  LawWorks only accepts litigation cases in extraordinary circumstances.

Applications are available online and clicking on Legal Resources for Nonprofits in the upper right corner of the home page.  For more information, please call 215-523-9567.

http://www.phillyvip.org/

Nonprofits can also join the group’s email list to be notified of seminars and to receive its issue alert by emailing jvolunteer@phillyvip.org.