First Defense Legal Aid (FDLA)
Contact person:
Elizabeth Fink, Attorney
Contact email:
Organization's mission:
FDLA mobilizes, trains and supports volunteer attorneys to conduct a significant portion of direct legal representation. FDLA provides direct legal representation, educational programming, community organizing and political advocacy.
Volunteers will work a hotline shift and represent individuals when they are in police custody to learn what happens before the client ends up with their actual attorney. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to interact with police officers, the individual in custody, and their family members.
Project location:
Students can work remotely. FDLA's phone service will forward all calls to the volunteer's cell phone and the volunteer will talk to the caller, who is either the person in custody or a family member or friend. The volunteer will gather information and then decide if it is necessary to go to the police station.
Estimated time necessary for completion of project:
The volunteer shifts are very flexible. Shifts last 3-6 hours and a volunteer can sign up for as little as one shift a month or can sign up every week.
Number of students needed:
Open.
Qualifications needed for this project, if any:
Student volunteers should have their 711 license.
Application deadline:
Open.