“One of the best parts about working with the same population for two years has been watching some of our clients progress. Whether it is the client that comes to you one day without a job, place to live, or an ID and comes back a few months later with all three, or the client whose son is locked up, and who comes to see you every other weekend to give you an update and ask general questions about the pre-trial process, spending a half an hour or less with some of these clients can mean a world of difference to them. Even if we cannot help them, we can listen.” (Andrew Hays (JD ’16), Former NLAP Student Coordinator)As its name suggests, PBCSIs newest pro bono project aims to meet some of the most pressing legal needs of our neighbors in the South Loop. The Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project (NLAP) operates twice a month at a free breakfast for the homeless hosted by the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple. With the assistance of a supervising attorney, trained law student volunteers work directly with homeless clients to assist them with sealing and expunging their criminal records and obtaining state identification cards. NLAP volunteers also provide legal information on a range of other issues, including public benefits, housing and family law, and wage theft.
Interested in Getting Involved?
Before students are able to start volunteering, they must attend a mandatory training session. Students are also able to watch the training session online here.
The training materials are available to download here: