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MISSISSIPPI VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT

Welcome to the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP)! MVLP is a nonprofit  501(c)3 program of The Mississippi Bar Association and Mississippi Legal Services Programs. More than 1,900 Mississippi attorneys volunteer their time and expertise to participate in the Project, and as a result, more than 8,000 low income citizens are assisted by the Project each year.

The challenge is to provide pro bono civil legal services to benefit low income people in Mississippi. We identify areas of legal need, develop projects to meet these needs, and recruit volunteer lawyers and law firms to provide the needed legal services.   

By providing pro bono legal services to poor people in our state, we strive to fulfill the highest aspirations of the legal profession.

MVLP Pro Bono Week Celebration Reception

October 29, 2009

Members of The Mississippi Bar are invited to a National Pro Bono Week Celebration Reception honoring Pro Bono Attorneys for their dedication and service. The reception will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Bar Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Pro Bono Volunteers and Pioneers will be recognized. Remarks will be made by Bar President George R. Fair and Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson. The reception is sponsored by The Mississippi Bar.

MVLP CLE "Nuts & Bolts of Family Law and Mediation"

October 30, 2009

The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project will also host a CLE during National Pro Bono Week as a way of encouraging volunteer lawyers to assist with mediating pro bono cases.  To help prepare attorneys interested in handling family law cases and/or mediating contested cases, MVLP will be hosting a power-packed CLE on Friday, October 30, 2009 from 9:00 - noon entitled "Nuts & Bolts of Family Law and Mediation".  The speakers for this seminar will be Patricia Herlihy, Esq. and Thomas W. Crockett, Esq. of Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis - experts in the area of family law.  There is no cost to lawyers who agree to take at least one case through MVLP, and the fee for everyone else interested in attending will be only $50 to cover supplies and materials.  This seminar has been approved for 3.0 hours of CLE by the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education.  Because the seminar will be held at MVLP offices located at 921 President Street in Jackson, spaces are limited. Please r.s.v.p. to La'Verne Edney, General Counsel, at LEdney@mymvlp.net or by calling 601.360.0212 for more information.

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New General Counsel

Ms. Edney is a graduate of Alcorn State University and received her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. She is an active member of several civic organizations including Leadership Jackson, Jackson 2000, Mississippi Women Lawyers' Association, and Metro Jackson Black Women Lawyers' Association.  She has served on the Board of Mississippi Families as Allies for Children's Mental Health, Inc. and currently serves on several other boards, including Mississippi College Board of Trustees. She was chosen by Mississippi College School of Law as the Young Lawyer of the Year for 2005-2006. She was also chosen as one of the top leading business women in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal.   

Ms. Edney's focus during her employment by MVLP will be on significantly expanding the pro bono delivery system in Mississippi.  Her responsibilities will include maximizing pro bono participation and client service, recruiting and retaining higher numbers of pro bono attorneys actively participating in MVLP, coordinating and implementing monthly continuing legal education training sessions for pro bono volunteers, as well as various other projects.

More information, click here.

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Brunini Attorneys Volunteer for Guardianship Clinic at MVLP

Brunini attorneys, La'Verne Edney, Karen Howell and Lane Staines, worked with The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project and Hinds County Chancery Court to provide legal assistance to help enroll children in school. At the Guardianship Clinics, Brunini attorneys assisted qualified low income people with the filing of guardianship petitions in Hinds County Chancery Court.  Also assisting was Attorney T Murry Whalen, Private Attorney and Part-time MVLP Staff Attorney. 

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2008-09 CURTIS E COKER ACCESS TO JUSTICE AWARD WINNERS 

EDDEREK L. COLE, Forman Perry

ANASTASIA G. JONES, Watkins & Eager

For more information, click here.