The Gainesville office of Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc. is eager to provide volunteer opportunities to all who are interested. If you are unable to participate in the Fall 2008 clinics because of a scheduling conflict, or because you missed the registration deadline please let us know about your interest in volunteering by e-mailing us at pblc@trls.org. We will try our best to provide you with an opportunity to volunteer at our organization. Below are the Fall 2008 Law Student Volunteer Clinics and instructions on how to register to volunteer for one of our clinic.

Fall 2008 Law Student Volunteer Clinics

TRLS will be running seven volunteer programs for law students during the Fall 2008 semester: Housing, Pro Se Divorce, Sealing and Expungement, General Legal Intake, Outreach, Outreach to Spanish Speaking Community, and Research.

Housing
Volunteers will conduct client interviews and draft memos and letters on landlord / tenant issues. The housing program is divided into two sessions: one training and four evening clinics.

HOUSING “A”
Training: Wednesday 9/17 from 4-7 pm
Clinics:Wednesdays 10/01, 10/08, 10/22, and 10/29 from 4-7 pm.

HOUSING “B”
Training: Monday 10/20 from 5-7 pm.
Clinics: : Mondays 10/27, 11/03, 11/10, and 11/17 from 4-7 pm

Pro Se Divorce
Volunteers will assist domestic violence victims and low income clients with completing forms necessary for marriage dissolution petitions and related child support actions. The pro se divorce program will be divided into two sessions.

PRO SE DIVORCE “A”
Training: Friday09/12 from 9-12 am
Clinics:Fridays 09/19, 09/26, 10/03, and 10/10 from 9 am-12pm,

PRO SE DIVORCE “B”
Training: Friday 10/24 from 9am-noon.
Clinics: Fridays 11/07, and 11/14 from 9pm-noon and Saturdays 11/08, and 11/15 from 11am-2pm.

Sealing and Expungement
Volunteers will explain the procedures for sealing and expungement of records to clients. Volunteers will also assist clients with completing their application to have their records sealed or expunged.

Training: Thursday 10/02 from 2-5 pm.

Clinic Dates: Thursdays 10/09, 10/23, 11/06 and 11/13 from 2-5 pm.

General Legal Intake
Volunteers will interview clients and draft intake memos on various civil legal issues. Please register for either Mondays or Tuesdays.
Training: Monday 09/15 from 1:30-3 pm. or Tuesday 09/16 from 9:30am -12pm
Scheduled Intake Hours: Mondays1:30 -3pm.
Tuesdays 9:30am -12pm

Outreach
This program is designed to allow students to learn about and prepare a presentation to educate particular groups on their legal rights. Students may choose from a wide variety of public interest law topics such as special education, consumer rights, tenant rights, elder law, homelessness, and legal issues associated with HIV/AIDS. Students willing to make a two semester commitment are preferred, but two semester commitment is not required.

Training: Friday09/19 from 2-4 pm.
Dates: Based on student availability

Outreach to Spanish-Speaking Community
Spanish-speaking volunteers will help with outreach, needs assessment and delivery of services to members of low-income Spanish-speaking communities. Some translation (both written and oral) may be need as well. Students are need for both outreach and for translation during our scheduled clinics. If you are interested in outreach you should attend the outreach training listed above. If you are interested in translating at a clinic you should indicate which clinic you want to attend and show up for that clinic’s training date and clinic dates.

Research

Students will perform legal research and writing for TRLS attorneys on a wide variety of issues.

Training: Based on student availability.

Dates: Based on student availability.

Registration Details

Please e-mail your registration requests to pblc@trls.org by 5pm on September 8. Based upon program availability, students may be allowed to participate in multiple programs. Returning volunteers will be given registration preference. Training sessions will be held at the offices of TRLS at 901 NW 8 th Ave., Suite D-5; Gainesville. (Call 305-372-0519 for directions.) To participate, student volunteers must be in at least their second semester of law school. Attendance at all program sessions is greatly appreciated, but not required provided that prior arrangements are made with the supervising attorneys.

To register please provide the following information:

Name:

E-mail address:

Mailing address:

Year / Semester in law school:

Phone number:

What program do you want to participate in? (please list three and indicate your first, second, third choices):

Are you a returning volunteer?

Please indicate foreign language proficiency:

 

Failure to register properly may result in the denial of a volunteer placement, so please read and follow all directions carefully.

 

Registration closes at 5pm on September 8, 2008

 

Placements will be e-mailed out on September 10, 2008

The Three Rivers Clinics are supervised by Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney Jorge Tormes. The primary responsibility of Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps attorneys is to collaborate with community legal aid providers, law students, and law schools to develop quality pro bono opportunities that expand legal resources in low income and underserved communities. To learn more about Equal Justice Works post-graduate fellowship programs, visit Equal Justice Works .

For more information about the Three Rivers Clinics and other volunteer opportunities, please contact Jorge Tormes (jorge.tormes@trls.org).

Three Rivers offers volunteer opportunities in conjunction with the semester-based course schedule at UF Law. This website will be updated at the beginning of each fall, spring, and summer session with information on volunteer programs