Volunteer Legal Services Of Central Texas

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (VLS) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping low-income individuals access the civil justice system by providing free legal advice and representation from volunteer attorneys. VLS was founded in May 1981 by a small group of people passionate about helping the overflow of low-income individuals seeking legal services from the local legal aid office. The founders were concerned by inequity in the civil legal system. The high cost of legal services meant poor people could not get the help they needed, even for critical issues like divorce, child custody, consumer fraud and housing matters. First named "Austin Lawyers Care," our founders envisioned an organization that mobilized volunteer attorneys to give back to their community through donations of time and legal expertise. Over the last 42 years, VLS programs have expanded to serve more than 5,000 people annually, through a variety of programs: twice-weekly over-the-phone legal advice clinics, twice-monthly in-person legal advice clinics, partnerships with law firms and other nonprofits, and individual representation. However, we remain true to our original volunteer-attorney model. Our staff serves to recruit, train and support attorneys, but our 950 + volunteers form the heart of our program success.