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Jackson, Mississippi-The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) is co-hosting several free pro se legal clinics across central Mississippi to assist low-income residents with their uncontested family law matters. Grandparents, relatives or family friends taking care of children who are not their own are encouraged to attend one of the clinics below. Clients will receive legal court documents prepared by licensed Mississippi attorneys and legal advice on specific matters. The legal clinics are open to the public; however, interested participants must register online at https://www.mvlp.net/pro-se-legal-clinic-schedule/ or contact MVLP at 601-882-5001. A list of the clinics and the areas of focus are below:
Thursday, June 7
9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Scott County Guardianship and ID Divorce Clinic is open to Scott County residents only. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce and guardianship matters. This clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP, the Scott County Bar Association and the Second Chancery District.
1 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Simpson County Guardianship Clinic is open to Simpson, Smith, Covington, Jefferson Davis and Lawrence County residents only. Individuals will receive assistance on guardianship matters only. This clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP, the Simpson County Bar Association and the Thirteenth Chancery District.
Friday, June 8
9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Neshoba and Kemper Counties Family Law Clinic is open to residents of those counties only. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce, guardianship, name change, emancipation and simple will matters. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP and the Sixth Chancery District.
Friday, June 15
9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Attala and Carroll Counties Family Law Clinic is open to residents of those counties only. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce, guardianship, name change, emancipation and simple will matters. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP and the Sixth Chancery District.
Friday, June 22
9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Choctaw and Winston Counties Family Law Clinic is open to residents of those counties only. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce, guardianship, name change, emancipation and simple will matters. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP and the Sixth Chancery District.
Friday, June 29
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – Madison County Family Law Clinic is open to Holmes, Leake, Madison and Yazoo counties. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce, emancipation and name change matters. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP, Madison County Bar Association, Eleventh Chancery District and Butler Snow LLP.
Friday, July 20 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Hinds County Family Law and Expungement Clinic is open to all Mississippi residents. Individuals will receive assistance on irreconcilable differences divorce, emancipation, power of attorney, simple wills and felony and misdemeanor expungement matters. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP and Forman Watkins & Krutz, LLP.
Friday, July 27
9 a.m.-1 p.m. – Hinds County Guardianship Clinic is open to Hinds County residents only. Free legal advice will also be provided on the following matters: divorces, name change, visitation, custody, birth certificate correction and emancipation. The clinic is co-sponsored by MVLP, Hinds County Chancery Court, Mississippi Center for Legal Services and Mission First Legal Aid.
The legal clinics are pro se clinics, meaning the individuals who attend and receive services from the attorneys are empowered to handle their legal matters in court on their own. The clinics are designed to assist self-represented litigants in preparing to go to court. “In the Chancery Courts of the Sixth District we see a tremendous number of people who are in need of legal assistance and simply cannot afford an attorney. People have a right to represent themselves in most cases, but as judge, I have an obligation to only approve pleadings that are prepared in strict conformity with the statutes, says Honorable Joey Kilgore, chancery judge for the Sixth Chancery District. These clinics are a great way to help low-income individuals draft legal documents that meet the requirements of the law and most of the attorneys in this district truly have a desire to help. I love that Mississippi is making court access a priority,” adds Judge Kilgore.
Clinic participants are paired with dedicated and professional pro bono attorneys from larger firms such as Forman Watkins & Krutz, LLP. “As Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee, I am thankful for the opportunity to reach the underserved in our community through our pro bono partnerships with organizations like MVLP. Our support of the MVLP clinic allows our attorneys to provide one-one-one legal advice to clients which directly underscores our belief that pro bono service is an important and essential element of every attorney’s professional responsibility,” adds Attorney Alison O’Neal McMinn.
Eligibility to attend a clinic is limited to people whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, that would be an annual income of $24,280 or less for an individual, or an annual income of $50,200 or less for a family of four, based on the 2018 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Persons seeking assistance must register in advance and be screened for eligibility by MVLP.
MVLP has assisted more than 200 litigants a year through the pro se legal clinics. “Pro bono work helps to bring closure to legal matters for individuals who cannot afford an attorney. MVLP is fortunate to work with attorneys across this state, who dedicate countless hours to making sure we restore hope in the lives of our underserved residents,” says Gayla Carpenter-Sanders, Executive Director/General Counsel. In 2017, MVLP served approximately 2,100 Mississippi residents through referrals, direct representation, advice and legal clinics.
For more information on MVLP or the legal clinics, please contact 601-882-5001 or visit www.mvlp.org.
About MVLP
The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) is a 501(c) (3) legal nonprofit entity that was formed as a collaboration between the Mississippi Bar Association and the Legal Services Corporation to provide free legal services to low-income residents of Mississippi, for more than thirty-five years. Founded on the belief that everyone should have access to courts, MVLP’s early efforts of reaching those in need were accomplished exclusively through directly representing clients. MVLP currently assists clients with civil legal matters, primarily in the following areas: uncontested divorces, emancipations, simple wills, adoptions, guardianships, name changes, birth certificate corrections, child support contempt matters, child support modifications, conservatorships and visitation matters.
