Pro Bono
Join Mississippi’s Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project
Last year, more than 70 attorneys from across the state joined us in our efforts to help homeowners keep their homes during the worst financial crisis in decades. Though much progress has been made, we still need your help.
The foreclosure crisis is not over. Mississippi still has one of the highest mortgage delinquency rates in the country. Volunteers are needed for the Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project. The majority of the cases require a loan modification, but commitments may also take the form of case assessment, mediation and negotiation of workout agreements, and/or litigation. This initiative is especially well suited to transactional lawyers and government lawyers, but any attorney willing to learn the basics can participate. The Mississippi Center for Justice has agreed to facilitate this pro bono project and brings to the table a commitment to ensure that volunteer attorneys have a support system in place to be successful. For more information, please contact Whitney Barkley, Equal Justice Works Fellow with the Mississippi Center for Justice.
Pro Bono Overview
Pro bono may translate literally as “free” but when it comes to the time and resources donated by pro bono partners from across the nation, the value to Mississippi is immeasurable. The Mississippi Center for Justice relies on a dedicated network of attorneys from a wide range of practice areas to support our legal advocacy work throughout the state. Attorneys who give of their time to advance the social justice environment in Mississippi not only improve the lives and living conditions of people in Mississippi, but they often improve themselves in the process.
While the support provided to the Mississippi Center for Justice is great, the need still far outweighs the resources. The greatest need on the Coast is simply for more lawyers working in-state. Between the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Mississippi Center for Legal Services, there are roughly the equivalent of seven full-time lawyers helping both hurricane survivors and the existing poverty population in the six coastal counties with the full range of legal needs. Some of these lawyers are not providing direct legal services but are focusing instead on the broader policy objectives that would address conditions causing the exploding need for direct assistance.
With the approval from the Bar, out-of-state volunteers can represent clients without the requirement of local co-counsel or pro hac vice admission. Simply complete the 
Affidavit for Practice in Miss.pdf. Once the affidavit is executed, please fax it to the Office of General Counsel of The Mississippi Bar at (601) 510-8599, and mail the original hard copy to The Mississippi Bar, Office of General Counsel, PO Box 2168, Jackson, MS 39225-2168.
Once the attorney has been approved, the Bar will notify the Mississippi Center for Justice. The Bar has asked that attorneys not contact them to determine the status of their affidavit. Instead, please contact Crystal Utley to confirm approval if you have not already heard from her.
There are many ways attorneys can get involved with the Mississippi Center for Justice. For a list of current needs, please read our Pro Bono Wish List Oct. 2009.pdf
Pro-Bono Contact
For more information about pro bono opportunities.
Crystal Utley
E-mail: cutley@mscenterforjustice.org
