Our Service Model

What distinguishes Lawyers Alliance? There are four essential elements to our service model: client outreach, client screening, co-counseling support, and volunteer recognition. First, we engage in extensive client outreach in our five program priority areas: community arts, economic opportunity, housing and human services, quality education, and urban health. We inform nonprofits of available services and distribute legal information that helps them be more successful and accountable.

Second, the client intake process includes a client screening interview. Our staff attorneys meet with prospective clients to discuss the organization's mission and programs, evaluate legal needs, and explain our legal services. We help prospective clients to identify and prioritize the legal issues that they should address, and we prepare them to work with our staff and volunteers.

When Lawyers Alliance matches clients with pro bono attorneys, our staff provides co-counseling support. A Lawyers Alliance staff attorney serves as co-counsel on each legal matter placed with a volunteer and is available to provide guidance and resources to the client and volunteer. Clients and volunteers benefit from our staff's specialized knowledge of nonprofit legal issues and their familiarity with nonprofit programs and services.

At other times, due to the urgency or specialized nature of a legal need, Lawyers Alliance staff attorneys perform the legal work without the assistance of pro bono counsel. Our expertise and dedication enables us to deliver quality and timely legal services.

Finally, we facilitate and encourage volunteer recognition to promote volunteerism and pro bono legal services. In recognizing the stellar work of dedicated and talented volunteer attorneys, we reinforce volunteer attorneys' enthusiasm to continue serving nonprofit organizations that appreciate their work -- and help them set a leadership example for other lawyers.

Legal matters are monitored, completed, and closed

Several times each year, we communicate by telephone and e-mail with every client and every volunteer on each open legal matter.

For all legal matters, we strive to move the project toward a prompt and successful completion. At the conclusion of each legal matter, we ask clients to complete a client case closing questionnaire. We use the composite data from this survey to measure results, assess impact, and improve services.