Where can I find "pro-bono" legal assistance for my nonprofit organization?

Finding a lawyer who specializes in nonprofit law and offers pro-bono legal assistance can be difficult. The following resources offer a variety of legal services and programs that might make the process a little easier.

• CorporateProBono.Org (http://www.corporateprobono.org) is a national initiative of the American Corporate Counsel Association and the Pro Bono Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. The Web site, launched in October 2000 and sponsored by numerous foundation and corporate funders, plays "matchmaker" by giving qualified nonprofits the opportunity to create a listing for their organization, which can then be searched and viewed by lawyers looking to volunteer their services. Volunteer lawyers can post their expertise and availability and there is a library of resources tailored to meet their needs.

• Pro Bono Partnership (http://www.probonopartnership.org), winner of numerous legal service awards, offers pro bono legal services to eligible nonprofit organizations in the New York tri-state area that serve the poor and disadvantaged, primarily in the areas of health and human services, affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development. Beyond providing pro bono legal services, the Pro Bono Partnership also offers workshops and materials on a variety of topics affecting nonprofit organizations and volunteer attorneys.

• Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (http://www.vlany.org) is a New York-based organization that offers volunteer legal services to arts organizations and individual artists nationwide. Among the services is the Art Law Line, a multilingual hotline for artlaw-related questions, consultation services, and an attorney referral service. See the Legal Services page for more details. There is also the MediateArt program which offers a non-litigious way to resolve disputes through mediation, facilitation, trainings, publications, and more.

• Founded in 1969, Lawyers Alliance for New York (http://www.lany.org) is a leading provider of free and low-cost business and transactional legal services to nonprofit and community development organizations that are working to improve the quality of life in New York City's low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods. In addition to serving hundreds of nonprofit groups each year that are delivering vital social services to the poor and underserved in New York City, Lawyers Alliance is targeting its efforts on several impact areas: 1) Affordable Housing 2) Economic Development 3) Children and Youth Services 4) Immigrant Communities and 5) Elder Services.

• New York-based nonprofits may wish to consult the The Legal Aid Society’s Community Development Project (“CDP”) (http://www.legal-aid.org/cdp), which offers free legal assistance to qualified nonprofit organizations in New York City. The CDP's nonprofit clients receive counsel on the full range of legal issues that affect them, including incorporation, tax exemption, charitable compliance, grant-making, corporate governance, real estate, intellectual property and employment. The typical nonprofit clients include arts organizations, after-school and child care programs, community development organizations and groups that provide services to the immigrant and LGBT communities. The CDP collaborates extensively with community-based partners to provide workshops, counseling and legal representation. Recent workshops include: legal considerations in starting a small business; financing for nonprofit organizations and small businesses; commercial leasing for artists; and not-for-profit incorporation and tax exemption. For more information or to request assistance, call 212-426-3000 any business day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and ask to speak to the Community Development Project (CDP).

• The Martindale-Hubbell lawyer locator has a search form to locate lawyers specializing in nonprofit law. You will need to contact individual lawyers to inquire about pro bono services. In the search form, use one of the following terms in the "Or enter specific area of practice" box:

  Charitable Gambling
  Charitable Giving
  Charitable Limited Partnerships
  Charitable Organizations Law
  Charitable Trusts and Foundations
  Nonprofit Organizations Law
  Nonprofit Tax Law
  Private Foundations
  Public Charities
  Tax Exempt Organizations

• You might also wish to look at "Pro Bono and More: On-line Legal Resources for Nonprofits," a 2003 article from Guidestar's newsletter.

• The Internet Nonprofit Center's FAQ: "Where can I find pro bono legal advice?" (http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/16/41.html) may also have some useful information for your organization.

• If you are looking for pro bono accounting services, the Clearinghouse for Volunteer Accounting Services (http://www.cvas-usa.org) provides these services to nonprofit organizations by matching accountants with organizations in need of accounting services. All accountants work on a volunteer basis, and offer their services free of charge to eligible nonprofits. This enables nonprofit organizations to obtain professional accounting services at no cost.

Please note: Though these are pro bono services, there may be nominal fees charged to defray costs. Visit each of the sites to determine specific costs and qualifying guidelines.

In addition to consulting an attorney and/or accountant, we suggest you try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database, for books and articles. You could start by searching on the subjects "Laws regulating philanthropy" or "Nonprofit organizations--accounting".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings. All articles, but not books, can be obtained through interlibrary loan at your local Cooperating Collection.

To learn more about technical assistance for nonprofits, attend our Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits, a free one and a half-hour class.

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