Donate or Volunteer
Donate to MMLS
Private donations are needed to make sure that we are able to carry out our mission of providing free legal representation to mid-Missourians. Your tax-deductible donation will help us protect families from loss of shelter or food, eviction or foreclosures, victims of spouse or child abuse or from illegal or unfair sales or trade practices.
By donating now you will have an enormous impact on our ability to help many more vulnerable individuals and families gain equal access to justice. Giving to MMLS is a very effective and efficient way to make a difference.
Also, MMLS participates in the CoMoGives.com annual online giving campaign for Columbia, Missouri, nonprofit organizations. This campaign is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri. You can read more about our program and pledge your donation by clicking the following link and choosing to pledge a donation to Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation.
Mid-Missouri Legal Services may not expend any funds for any activity prohibited by the Legal Services Corporation, 42 U.S.C. 2996 et seq. or by Public Law 104-134 {110 Stat. 1321 (1996)}. Public Law 104-134 § 504(d) requires that notice of these restrictions be given to all funders of programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation. For a copy of these laws or for any other information or clarifications, please contact Mid-Missouri Legal Services at 573-442-0116.
Lawyer Opportunities
Judicare Attorneys
MMLS pays private attorneys a modest fee to handle certain cases through its Judicare (reduced fee) program.
Judicare attorneys must be approved by the MMLS Board of Directors before being referred cases. Please contact Emily Mora, Judicare/Pro Bono Coordinator at morae@mmls.org for further information.
Because Judicare attorneys are paid a fee by MMLS to handle those cases, Judicare attorneys must obtain their own professional liability coverage. The State Legal Expense Fund (105.711 RSMO) does not cover attorneys who provide reduced fee services.
Pro Bono Attorneys
The Pro Bono Panel is the primary form of attorney volunteerism through Mid-Missouri Legal Services. Attorneys may volunteer to provide limited services or extended representation in any civil substantive law area approved by MMLS to qualifying clients.
Applicants are screened by MMLS for financial eligibility and merit assessment. MMLS projects the amount of time required for each case, and cases then are referred to appropriate pro bono attorneys who voluntarily accept them. Pro bono attorneys are not forced to accept any referral. Your choice to accept a pro bono referral is based on your availability and comfort with both the time commitment and subject matter of the case. If a case becomes more complicated than initially anticipated, MMLS will review it for representation by an MMLS staff attorney or another pro bono attorney who has sufficient time to handle the case, and you may withdraw.
Cases do not have to originate at MMLS. If you have a client who comes to your office but has financial limitations, you may refer the client to MMLS. If the client financial qualifies for MMLS services, you still may accept that client on a pro bono basis.
MMLS refers any type of non-fee-generating civil case to a pro bono attorney, based on the client’s needs and the attorney’s expertise. When you apply for the Pro Bono Panel, you will indicate which types of cases you wish to accept. If you would like to expand your knowledge and skills, MMLS offers resources including MMLS staff attorney guidance, private attorney mentors, and forms and research materials to assist you.
When you join the MMLS Pro Bono panel, you are eligible for coverage under the State Legal Expense Fund (105.711 RSMO) if a malpractice judgment is entered against you.
Legal Aid to Veterans Program
The MMLS Legal Aid to Veterans Clinic is a weekly drop-in clinic, conducted at the Harry S. Truman V.A. Hospital in Columbia, which provides veterans an opportunity to consult with an attorney and obtain legal assistance or referral. The Veterans Clinic is staffed by an MMLS attorney who meets with veterans individually to determine their legal problem, assists them when possible and, otherwise, refers them to an appropriate service provider. Veterans who have legal problems that fall within the scope of MMLS’s Priorities are assisted by MMLS pro bono or staff attorneys. MMLS provides representation to veterans in a wide range of civil issues, including problems identified in the V.A.’s “CHALENG” Survey that are particularly troubling to veterans, such as restoration of driver’s licenses and child support modifications. The Clinic refers veterans who are involved in civil cases in courts outside Missouri to an LSC-funded legal aid program in the other state. Veterans with other legal problems are referred to local legal resources for assistance.
Pro Bono Mentoring Program
Attorneys who have established law practices may lack the time to accept pro bono cases requiring extended representation in court and administrative proceedings. MMLS needs experienced attorneys who are willing to mentor newer or less experienced attorneys who want to provide pro bono services to MMLS clients but have not acquired the same level of expertise as experienced practitioners.
Please consider serving as a mentor to a less experienced attorney in the civil substantive law area(s) of your choice. Your knowledge of a particular substantive area and the court or administrative procedures involved can be invaluable to new attorneys who is learning the practice. By coaching a newer lawyer, both of you can help an unrepresented client access the legal system.
Uncontested Divorce Clinic
MMLS regularly hosts an Uncontested Divorce Clinic, in which volunteer attorneys and law students assist clients in preparing pro se paperwork for dissolution without children or substantial property/debt. The process takes about two hours to complete. MMLS provides further assistance, oversight and follow-up with the client to ensure success, and the time commitment of the volunteer is limited to assistance provided at the clinic.
Law Student Opportunities
Domestic Violence Clinic/Family Violence Clinic
In cooperation with the University of Missouri School of Law’s Family Violence Clinic, the domestic violence attorney at MMLS supervises eight to ten law students each semester and teaches them the skills and legal knowledge required to assist clients with Order of Protection cases.
Students must be Rule 13-eligible and must apply to the Family Violence Clinic through the School of Law in order to participate in the MMLS domestic violence clinic. Students selected assist clients in Adult and Child Order of Protection cases, under the supervision of the domestic violence attorney.
Students selected handle all aspects of the client’s case, including client and witness interviews, drafting of pleadings and other written correspondence, negotiating with opposing parties and attorneys, and representing the client in court proceedings.
For more information regarding the Domestic Violence clinic, contact Emily Mora, at morae@mmls.org, Judicare/Pro Bono Coordinator, at 573-442-0116.
Landlord/Tenant Practicum
In cooperation with the University of Missouri School of Law, the housing attorney at MMLS teaches six law students each semester the skills and legal knowledge required to assist clients with housing issues. Students must apply and be selected by the housing attorney to participate in the practicum. Students selected assist clients, under the supervision of the housing attorney, in various housing-related issues. Each semester, students assist low-income tenants facing eviction, enforcing minimum living standards and many other housing issues.
Students selected handle all aspects of the client’s case, including client and witness interviews, drafting of pleadings and other written correspondence, negotiating with landlords and other attorneys and representing the client in court proceedings.
For more information regarding the Landlord/Tenant Practicum, contact Roger Dyer, Housing Director at 573-442-0116.
Uncontested Divorce Clinic
MMLS regularly hosts an Uncontested Divorce Clinic, in which volunteer attorneys and law students assist clients in preparing pro se paperwork for dissolution without children or substantial property/debt. The process takes about two hours to complete. MMLS provides further assistance, oversight and follow-up with the client to ensure success, and the time commitment of the volunteer is limited to assistance provided at the clinic.