Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Pro Bono Project

The Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Pro Bono Project is dedicated to improving equal access to justice for all and has been making a meaningful change in people’s lives since 1986. This program is made possible in part by grants from the Louisiana Bar Foundation and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services. 


Our Pro Bono Project volunteers provide critical civil legal services for poor people in our community struggling with some of life's most difficult problems: family disintegration, loss of housing, bankruptcy, loss of income through disability domestic violence and more.

Recognizing that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to pro bono and that attorneys have varying interests and needs, the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation offers several ways for volunteers to become involved:

Are you a client needing legal help?

How to apply for services

Individual Representation

BRBF Pro Bono Project Legal Advice Hotline

Thirst for Justice

Ask-A-Lawyer

Wills for Heroes

*Please note there are no attorneys in our office and our staff cannot provide legal advice. 

Pro Bono Project volunteers:
Click here to volunteer with the Pro Bono Project. 

  • Have an opportunity to give back to the community in a concrete and impactful way
  • Develop critical lawyering skills and gain experience
  • Obtain support through our training seminars and volunteer mentors
  • Gain exposure and develop communication skills in various legal settings
  • Receive recognition for their work through our Century Club
  • Earn CLE credit under Rule 3.21 of the Louisiana Supreme Court Rules of Continuing Legal Education. The Pro Bono Project is an approved organization under MCLE Rules. Volunteers accepting cases earn CLE credit in accordance with the rule. 
  • Gain admittance to free or reduced rate CLE courses

Annually, our volunteers assist over 2,600 litigants in many areas of civil law.  

Law students and paralegals can also volunteer with our programs. Students may volunteer at any of our three outreach clinics or may serve as interns at the Baton Rouge Bar office. The Pro Bono Project is an approved internship site for the LSU Paralegal Program, the Southern University Law Center Chancellor's Public Service Initiative Stipend program and the LSU Public Interest Law Society Fellowship program. Contact Robin Kay to find out how  you can  help.

The Pro Bono Project is funded by grants from the Louisiana Bar Foundation Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Family, District and City Court Filing Fees, the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation and by donations.

Individual Representation

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation refers cases to the Pro Bono Project for placement with volunteer attorneys. Our volunteers provide legal assistance to low-income clients and agree to accept a minimum of two cases per year. Cases are available in the areas of consumer finance, bankruptcy, education, employment, family law, health, housing, juvenile, SSI, wills and small successions. Volunteers may also serve on our pro bono volunteer panel exclusively as conflicts attorneys for clients accepted directly through the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation when an adverse party is represented by Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation.

Accepting pro bono cases also provides opportunities for reduced fee Continuing Legal Education. Mentors are available to assist you and malpractice insurance is provided by the Pro Bono Project.

If you would like to volunteer for the Pro Bono Project, click here.


Thirst for Justice

Due to COVID-19, Thirst for Justice is temporarily closed.  
The Pro Bono Project provides a walk-in legal clinic every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. at the St. Vincent de Paul Bishop Ott Shelter located at 220 St. Vincent de Paul St. in Baton Rouge. Volunteers provide legal counseling and advice to individuals on matters of civil law only. 
To volunteer for Thirst for Justice, contact Lynn Haynes for available dates.


Ask-A-Lawyer
The Pro Bono Project provides walk-in legal clinics two to three times a month at several locations throughout the greater Baton Rouge area. Volunteers provide legal advice at various social service agencies including Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Charles R. Kelly Center, the East Baton Rouge Parish Branch Libraries and in surrounding parishes. Times and locations of these events vary. To volunteer for Ask-A-Lawyer, contact Lynn Haynes.


Self Help Resource Center
The Self Help Resource Center (SHRC) for the East Baton Rouge Family Court serves self-represented litigants with specific Family Court matters (103 divorce, custody, and modifications of child support only) by appointment. Walk-ins may be assisted if time permits. The SHRC is located on the 4th Floor of the 19th Judicial District Courthouse, and operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Volunteer attorneys and law students assist pro se litigants with court-approved forms and information for filing. Volunteer attorneys offer notarization, but do not provide legal advice. The Self Help Resource Center volunteer sign-up is open to attorneys in all areas of practice. Lawyers who wish to volunteer may check availability and sign up hereContact Robin Kay for more information. Please note: If you are a self-represented litigant, please refer to the section below for more information.


Wills for Heroes
The Young Lawyers Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association, in cooperation with the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Pro Bono Project, sponsors the Wills for Heroes Program in Baton Rouge. Wills for Heroes is a national initiative that provides wills at no cost to first responders (law enforcement officers, fire fighters and EMS). Volunteer attorneys prepare notarial wills, powers of attorney and living wills at each event. Wills for Heroes events are held twice a year in Baton Rouge.

To volunteer, contact Robin Kay for more information. 


Are you a client in need of legal help? 

 

Applying for Services
The Pro Bono Project accepts a limited number of cases each year. Civil (non-criminal cases) are referred directly by Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation (SLLS) to the Pro Bono Project for placement with volunteer attorneys. To apply for free legal services, you must contact 
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation at (855) 512-3980 or (225) 448-0080 or complete a web application at www.slls.org. Eligibility for service is based on gross income and in relation to family size, assets and case type. If SLLS accepts your case, it may be referred to the Pro Bono Project for placement with a volunteer attorney.

If you do not qualify for free legal services, you may find additional resources on the Louisiana State Bar Association website. The LSBA offers a Modest Means Directory that provides contact information of attorneys who charge reduced rates or charge less because they represent someone for just part, and not all, of a case. For information on fees and services, you will need to contact the attorney(s) listed on that site.

Pro Bono Project Legal Advice Hotline 
The Pro Bono Project provides free advice to low-income individuals in the Greater Baton Rouge area through its Legal Advice Hotline. To apply for legal advice through the Pro Bono Project, check out our online application. Answering these questions does not mean that your application will be accepted or that anyone is agreeing to be your attorney. To begin an online application, click here

Thirst for Justice
Due to COVID-19, Thirst for Justice is temporarily closed.

The Pro Bono Project provides a walk-in legal clinic on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m. at the offices of St. Vincent de Paul located at 220 St. Vincent DePaul St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802. At Thirst for Justice, volunteers provide legal counseling and advice on matters of civil law only. Thirst for Justice is first-come, first-serve.

Ask-A-Lawyer
The Pro Bono Project provides walk-in legal clinics two to three times a month at several locations throughout the greater Baton Rouge area. At Ask-A-Lawyer, volunteers provide legal advice at various social service agencies including Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Delmont Service Center of Baton Rouge,  the East Baton Rouge Parish Branch Libraries and the surrounding area. Times and locations vary. Ask-A-Lawyer is first-come, first-serve. For a schedule of upcoming Ask-A-Lawyer Clinics, click here .

Self Help Resource Center 
The Self Help Resource Center (SHRC) for the East Baton Rouge Family Court serves self-represented litigants with specific Family Court matters (103 divorce, custody, and modifications of child support only) by appointment. Walk-ins may be assisted if time permits. The SHRC is located on the 4th Floor of the 19th Judicial District Courthouse and operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Volunteer attorneys and law students assist pro se litigants with court-approved forms and information for filing. Volunteer attorneys offer notarization, but do not provide legal advice. The Self Help Resource Center volunteer sign-up is open to attorneys in all areas of practice. Self-represented litigants may click here to schedule an appointment and for additional information .