Looking for pro bono assistance?
Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL) has provided outstanding free and low-cost civil legal services to those in need in the Denver Metro area since 1966. MVL’s mission is the bridge the gap in access to justice by coordinating pro bono legal services. Dedicated lawyers donate their time and knowledge within the Denver Metro Area to people who could not otherwise afford legal services for their civil legal issues.
MVL serves people who are living at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Douglas County’s 2017 demographic data indicates that 11,809 residents (3.5% of Douglas County’s 346,000 population) are living at or below federal poverty level and 31,244 residents (9.3%) are living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.[1]
MVL Programs:
Family Law Court Program – assists clients with uncomplicated, uncontested Dissolution of Marriage or Allocation of Parental Responsibilities cases, where the other party is
not represented by an attorney.
Post-Decree Clinic – assists individuals with legal problems that arise
after Permanent Orders have been entered in a Dissolution of Marriage or Allocation of Parental Responsibilities case.
Power of Attorney Clinic – assists clients with Financial Powers of Attorney, Medical Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and Declarations of Disposition of Last Remains.
Legal Clinic at the Denver Indian Center – Metro Volunteer Lawyers has partnered with the
Denver Indian Center to provide a monthly walk-in legal clinic aimed at helping Native Americans in need of legal services.
Referrals – MVL recruits and coordinates volunteer attorneys to represent people who otherwise could not afford legal assistance for cases involving a variety of civil matters, including family matters (divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities, adoption, and post decree), probate (wills, powers of attorney, guardianships, and conservatorships), consumer (contracts and warranties), financial (bankruptcy, tax, and collections), Social Security/SSI, and housing (landlord/tenant and real estate).
MVL Application Process
Step 1: Anyone seeking acceptance into any of our programs must contact Colorado Legal Services (CLS) at 303-837-1313 or complete an online application at
coloradolegalservices.org.
Step 2: A CLS staff member will conduct an interview with you to determine your financial eligibility for free or low-fee legal services, and the nature of your legal issue.
Step 3: CLS may then refer your case to MVL. If referred to MVL, we will contact you to inform you if MVL can provide assistance.
Note: If you first contact MVL directly you will be redirected to CLS.
[1] “Douglas County Profile for The At-Risk Population,” February 2019, Douglas County Department of Community Development,
https://www.douglas.co.us/documents/at-risk-profile.pdf
