MISSISSIPPI ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION – The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission was established by the Mississippi Supreme Court to provide overarching, unifying support to Mississippi’s civil legal services delivery system. Law students are needed to conduct remote research projects on a variety of topics related to the increasing access to civil justice in Mississippi. In the past, students have conducted research on cy pres awards, self-help centers and kiosks, fundraising opportunities for legal aid, and how other states have developed manuals and guides for self-represented litigants and court clerks. For more information, contact Nicole McLaughlin, Executive Director, at nmclaughlin@msbar.org or 601-960-9581.
MISSISSIPPI VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT (MVLP) – MVLP provides legal services for domestic matters involving low-income and limited means clients, through direct legal assistance and legal clinics. If you are interested in working with MVLP, contact Gayla Carpenter-Sanders at gsanders@mvlp.org.
MISSISSIPPI CENTER FOR JUSTICE – With offices in Jackson, Biloxi, and Indianola, the Center seeks systemic solutions that promote educational opportunity, protect the rights of consumers, secure access to healthcare, ensure equity in disaster recovery and put affordable housing within the reach of all Mississippians. If you are interested, you can view the Center’s website at mscenterforjustice.org.
NORTH MISSISSIPPI RURAL LEGAL SERVICES (NMRLS) – NMRLS provides free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in the northern half of Mississippi. NMRLS’s Volunteer Law Project matches student volunteers with areas of client need based on the volunteer’s interests, skills, and availability. The majority of NMRLS’s work is in the areas of family law, consumer protection including tax litigation, wills and estates, and housing. For more information, contact the volunteer coordinator at 662-234-2918.
MISSISSIPPI LEGAL SERVICES – Mississippi Legal Services provides free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in the southern half of Mississippi. Opportunities for volunteers include assisting attorneys with Victims of Crime Act representation (research and education and outreach activities), foreclosure defense (research and education and outreach activities), and Title III representation on elderly (education and outreach activities). If you are interested, contact Sam Buchanan at shbuchanan@mslegalservices.org.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN MISSISSIPPI (HRC-MS) – The HRC-MS fights for LGBTQ+ equality in Mississippi alongside state and local groups and lawmakers. In an unprecedented effort to bring equality to Mississippi, HRC-MS launched Project One America, a comprehensive campaign to dramatically expand LGBTQ+ equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas. Pro bono opportunities vary based on the projects the organization is working on at the time, but past opportunities have included webinars explaining how to get a Name and/or Gender Marker change on a birth certificate and Life Planning (wills, powers of attorney, and advance health-care directives). Future plans include pro se clinics to assist members of the LGBTQ+ community with changes to their birth certificates and their life planning.
THE NORTHCUTT LEGAL CLINIC – The Northcutt Legal Clinic is a subsidiary of the Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Nonviolence, Inc., which is a women’s shelter for South Mississippi. The Northcutt Legal Clinic is a traditional law office that handles legal matters of a non-criminal nature for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking. Students can volunteer at the Northcutt Legal Clinic in the summers for pro bono hours. Volunteer opportunities include shadowing the clinic attorney, preparing pleadings, interviewing clients, setting cases, drafting correspondence, and observing court hearings. If you are interested, contact Harry Yoste, Jr. at 228-864-7144.
FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL – This organization’s mission is “to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.” Pro bono opportunities vary based on the projects the organization is working on at the time, but past opportunities have included conducting research into state law as it impacts LGBTQ families, developing overviews of one area of law (e.g. surrogacy or second-parent adoption) across the 50 states plus DC, and drafting position papers on a topic of current particular interest. If you are interested, you can view the Council’s website at familyequality.org.