NVRDC Pro Bono Portal

HAVE YOU ALREADY BEEN TRAINED BY NVRDC AND ARE READY TO TAKE ON A PRO BONO CASE?

Click below to login to our pro bono portal for resources, forms, and more. Contact probono@nvrdc.org if you need access information.

Join NVRDC's Pro Bono Program

Are you a DC licensed attorney? Join NVRDC's Pro Bono Program!

NVRDC aims to change the impact of victimization by providing holistic, comprehensive services to all crime victims in DC. However, as we aim to serve all of our clients with excellence and integrity, our limited resources often force us to choose between two evils - turning away survivors seeking our help or risking jeopardizing the consistent quality of our services. This is where you can help!

If you are a licensed attorney who wants to have a positive impact on a survivor of crime's experience in a judicial system, NVRDC may give you the chance to volunteer your time in a supported and secure environment. NVRDC's Pro Bono Program offers opportunities for attorneys to represent survivors of crime in DC in three contexts: Crime Victims' Rights, Civil Protection Order cases, and during a University-based on-campus judicial process administered under Title IX. 

Because NVRDC co-counsels every case with our pro bono attorneys, volunteer attorneys determine their level of involvement with the case: whether you want to first-chair a CPO trial or do a single, discrete research project for a CVR issue in a case. As part of this co-counsel model, all attorneys can be confident they will never be left to figure out an arising issue on their own. 

Our pro bono trainings for volunteer attorneys who are interested in taking cases are offered on a periodic basis at local law firms that generously host us. In the past, our trainings have been held at firms like Arnold & Porter, Steptoe & Johnson, and Sidley Austin, among others. 

If you are interested in being contacted about the next training, please email probono@nvrdc.org. 

WAYS TO HELP

CIVIL PROTECTION ORDERS

For Civil Protection Order (CPO) cases, attorneys get experience litigating in a concentrated form; the majority of CPO cases are completed within two weeks and almost all of them are done within a month.

Since each CPO case requires us to prepare for a full hearing, our typical pro bono attorney uses a CPO case as an opportunity to get experience drafting and conducting a direct examination and opening statement.

With our experienced attorneys there to assist, give feedback, and co-chair, CPO cases are a good way for young associates to gain experience litigating in court without feeling the pressure of taking on a case alone. The bulk of most CPO cases are focused on preparing for and being in court.  CPO cases can also, if the pro bono attorney wants, involve a significant amount of client interaction.

CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS

Meanwhile, the Crime Victims' Rights (CVR) case representation is shaped a little differently.

CVR cases involve a smaller amount of time commitment over a longer period, with a greater focus on conducting research and writing motions, rather than appearing in court. Criminal cases (particularly if charged as a felony) last over a year, so the role that pro bono attorneys take can differ significantly between individual attorneys’ schedules. In most CVR cases where we ask for assistance it is for a specific issue, like subpoena defense or the victim's restitution request.

These cases tend to be a good fit for busy attorneys who want to include a few hours of pro bono work in their schedule; sometimes staying for the entirety of a case, other times only doing a discrete research project during its pendency. These discrete research projects can also involve technical oral arguments before a judge. Some of the most intense violence, stalking behaviors, or abuse can be seen in these cases or can involve very interesting legal issues for attorneys to help us tackle. These cases can have little-to-no client interaction or the attorney can fully dive in, attending meetings or even court with the client on the days she has to testify, working to protect her crime victims' rights throughout the process.

TITLE IX & CLERY ACT-BASED CAMPUS REPRESENTATION

Finally, Title IX & Clery Act-based campus representation cases have even more room for new, strange, and interesting issues to come up, because this area can feel a bit like the Wild West. Under Title IX, universities are required to have on-campus procedures for student survivors of intimate partner abuse, stalking, or sexual assault to report any sexual harassment or violence and pursue a disciplinary proceeding.

Under the Clery Act, universities must publish statistics regarding what crimes are being perpetrated against their students—both on and off-campus—as well as accommodate some specific needs of student survivors.

However, universities in DC are constantly changing their policies and the ways they carry out their required investigations, so we have found there is a lot of room for advocacy, and a need for flexibility, in these cases. Pro bono attorneys in the past have played roles anywhere from helping advocate for a student's immediate needs (like class schedule changes) to representing a student throughout an on-campus investigation, hearing/appeals process, submitting complaints with the Department of Justice, and exploring lawsuit options under Title IX.

Pro Bono Law Firms:

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Alix Partners

Arnold and Porter LLP

Baulig Law

Covington & Burling

Crowell & Moring LLP

Dechert

Hogan Lovells LLP

Jackson & Associates

K&L Gates

Latham & Watkins LLP

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

Pillsbury

Squire Patton Boggs

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Sidley Austin LLP

Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP

Williams & Connolly LLP

WilmerHale

ZwillGen