Business Spotlight: The Volunteer Lawyers Project
You’re likely familiar with the phrase “Everyone is equal before the law.” Indeed, Article 7 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.” It’s an important value that American society aspires to live up to.
But what if someone can’t afford the legal representation needed to ensure due process and equal justice? In U.S. criminal law, indigent defendants are entitled to free legal representation provided by a public defender. In civil matters, however, the fundamental guarantee of equal justice relies largely on volunteer organizations that deliver pro bono (from the Latin pro bono publico, “for the public good”) legal services to economically disadvantaged individuals.
That’s the mission of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Greater Boston Area. The 45-year-old organization works to provide low-income individuals and families in and around Boston with equal access to justice through a team of attorney, paralegal, and law student volunteers. The VLP draws legal professionals and interns from area law schools—including Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Harvard University, Boston University, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts—who collectively contribute some 18,500 volunteer hours on cases and 6,000 volunteer hours at clinics annually.
Growing Need for Pro Bono Legal Services
Since its founding, the Volunteer Lawyers Project has seen the number of people who qualify for and are in need of free legal services increase exponentially. That’s because the costs of necessities like housing, food, and transportation have increased dramatically while wages have failed to keep up. According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, 17.6 percent of Boston residents are living in poverty and, therefore, are likely unable to afford legal representation.
Growing income inequality means that not only are low-income residents finding it more difficult to afford housing—and avoid eviction—but bankruptcies also are on the rise. So it’s not surprising that, measured by case numbers, the VLP’s top areas of practice are housing, family guardianship, and consumer concerns (including Chapter 7 bankruptcy and fair debt collection).
Serving an Increasingly Diverse Client Population
While demand for the Volunteer Lawyers Project’s services has surged, Boston’s population has grown increasingly diverse. Boston is now what’s known as a majority-minority city, meaning that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities (relative to the city’s population) make up a majority of its population.
To serve Boston’s diverse population, VLP delivered assistance to clients in more than 60 different languages in 2019-2020. That year, its caseload included 2,696 Black, 2,338 white, 1,609 Hispanic or Latino, 257 Asian or Pacific Islander, 231 multiracial, and 47 Native American clients. To effectively serve this client group, VLP prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI for short).
Dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
One of the organization’s core values is to “promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in the delivery of legal services.” By doing so, the Volunteer Lawyers Project is better able to fulfill its aim of ensuring its staff and volunteers reflect its client populations. Transcending buzzword status, VLP’s DEI efforts are driving real change within the organization. It has worked on its recruiting and hiring practices to engage a diverse group of volunteer interns and to hire a diverse staff. “We hope to build cohesive and supportive staff members who work with each other and our clients with an understanding of the effects of institutional racism,” explains Joanna George Allison, Executive Director of the VLP.
To fulfill its commitment to DEI and realize the benefits DEI training can bring to the organization, VLP is taking advantage of the DEI certificate program offered by Suffolk University’s Center for Continuing & Professional Education (CCPE). To that end, three VLP staff members recently completed Suffolk’s CCPE program, called Becoming a Culture Change Agent: Harnessing the Power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and two others are currently enrolled.
The knowledge and skills employees gain through the certificate program are helping VLP to identify and implement activities for the entire staff that further inclusion, and to examine its practices in equity and in attracting and recruiting a diverse pool of job applicants. It believes Suffolk CCPE’s DEI certificate program is giving a core group of staff the ability and gravitas to speak up and make organizational changes that promote DEI.
Become a Change Agent
DEI isn’t merely a talking point but rather a critical organizational strategy for shaping today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. Suffolk University’s Becoming a Culture Change Agent: Harnessing the Power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate program is an online program designed to help passionate individuals and professionals from all industries become DEI experts equipped to drive positive organizational change.
Find out how you can become a bolder and more inclusive leader by earning a DEI certificate from Suffolk University’s CCPE.
Recommended Readings
DEI in the Workplace: Initiatives, Benefits, and Training
What Is Unconscious Bias, and How Do You Recognize It?
The Basics of DEI: Principles, Policy, and Practice
Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Boston City, Massachusetts
United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Volunteer Lawyers Project, Annual Reports 2021
Volunteer Lawyers Project, What We Do