Upcoming Pro Bono Opportunities

*This list includes efforts that are on-going or re-occur annually

Office location 3245 Loch Ness Dr., Lexington, KY 40517

Phone: (859) 246-4313

Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children.
CASA volunteers work through the family court system to ensure child victims receive services and are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
New volunteers complete a 30-hour training course, typically held on nights and weekends; the training counts for pro bono hours.
Once assigned to a case, volunteers typically spend 6-10 hours per month visiting CASA children, interviewing adults involved in the children's lives, writing reports for the judge and attending family court hearings.
CASA volunteers complete 12 hours of continuing education every year; CLE trainings and classes with relevance to CASA duties can be counted.
CASA volunteers must be 21 years old and pass a background check. They are asked to commit to two years of service, in order to provide consistency for the children they respresent.

Office location: Prestonburg, Kentucky with the Pillersdorf Law Offices and AppalReD Legal Aid

Law students work with Pillersdorf Law Offices and AppalReD Legal Aid to represent low income individuals in various civil and criminal legal matters.
Gain first-hand experience in responding to discovery requests, traveling to various counties in Eastern Kentucky for client and witness interviews, participating in any mediations, assisting with trial preparation, and attending trials and hearings in civil and criminal defense cases.
Contact Ned Pillersdorf at pillersn@gmail.com or (606) 886-6090.
Ongoing Opportunity - Assist Former Social Security Clients of Eric Conn
- Law students, under the supervision of practicing attorneys, assist the former clients and victims of fraud by Eric Conn, their former attorney, in an effort to seek redetermination hearings before the Social Security Administration to reinstate their benefits
- Also contact Ned Pillersdorf at pillersn@gmail.com or (606) 886-6090

Office location: Fayette Circuit Courthouse, 120 N. Limestone, Suite C-103 (in the Basement), Lexington, KY

The Legal Help Center is staffed by volunteer attorneys who offer free information and limited assistance to pro se individuals regarding certain legal matters. Law students who assist do so under the supervision of licensed attorneys and staff volunteers.
The Legal Help Center is open every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You may sign up here, and find more information, at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EAAAA29AAF4C52-49496700-fayette#/.
Contact: Glenda Harrison, Executive Director of the KY Access to Justice Commission, glenda.harrison@kyaccesstojusticecommission.org

Office locations: Lexington, Frankfort, Nicholasville, Cynthiana, Richmond (other locations are available)

Duties vary according to needs of each trial office and include opportunities to visit courtrooms, assist with interviews and other duties related to filing and archiving cases
For more information, please visit our website at http://dpa.ky.gov/
Contact Patti Heying, Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy, at (502) 782-3510

Office locations: Frankfort and LaGrange

3L’s preferred

The law student would be assigned a post-conviction case to assist an attorney. The assignment would include record review, legal research, claim drafting, and an Oldham County prison visit to meet the client.
For more information, please visit our website at http://dpa.ky.gov/
Contact Patti Heying, Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy, at (502) 782-3510

Office Location: Frankfort (This project can likely be completed from home)

The Appellate Branch needs students to transcribe video tapes of trials or testimony. The students would be able to complete most of the hours in their home as long as they have access to a DVD player and a computer with internet capabilities. The students may need to make two trips to the Frankfort office: an initial visit to receive their assignment and then a final visit to return videos. It is very likely students will get all 30 hours completed in a week for this project. Since most of the work is done from home, the hours are at the students’ discretion as long as the final deadlines are met.
For more information, please visit our website at http://dpa.ky.gov/
Contact Patti Heying, Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy, at (502) 782-3510

Office Location: Frankfort (most of the work can be done from home or law library)

The Education Branch often updates legal training materials for educational manuals. In most cases, it is a matter of research the most recent case law. This project is not necessarily available year-round.
For more information, please visit our website at http://dpa.ky.gov/
Contact Patti Heying, Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy, at (502) 782-3510

Law students, under supervision of a local attorney and Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, will assist low-income individuals, veterans, or victims of domestic violence with civil legal matters, including bankruptcy, debtor-creditor issues, family law, landlord-tenant, protective orders, and expungements
For more information, please visit our website at https://lablaw.org/volunteer
Contact Bethanie Mettling, Pro Bono Unit Manager, at bmettling@lablaw.org or (859) 957-0187