The Alabama Law Foundation provides annual VLP grants to Volunteer Lawyer Programs (VLPs) throughout the state, which provide free legal aid to the poor in civil cases. One of ALF’s 2023 grant recipients, Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham, is an example of how this grant funding benefits the community. The Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program will host a free legal clinic on June 2, 2023, to help Jefferson County, Alabama, residents with non-violent criminal records start the process of clearing their records. Alabama passed a law in 2021 allowing some people who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes, like minor traffic violations, drug crimes and theft, to apply to have their records cleared.

The Alabama Law Foundation is a charitable, tax-exempt organization providing ways for lawyers to better their profession and their communities. One of the ways we help make this happen is through our annual grants to organizations that provide free legal aid to the poor in civil cases. Grant recipients regularly include Volunteer Lawyer Programs (VLPs) throughout the state. Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham, which refers cases to more than 650 attorneys in the Birmingham area, received a $125,000 grant for 2023.

Volunteer lawyers donate their time to provide critical services to people who otherwise could not afford a lawyer. Twala Grant Wallace, managing attorney for the Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program, told AL.com that clearing these types of criminal records is a “win-win for the county, the city and for the population” because it will help Alabamians secure jobs and housing, aiding in the current worker shortage and putting people back on their feet with a home and a way to support themselves and their families.

The free legal clinic for Jefferson County residents will be held on Friday, June 2, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Zion Star Missionary Baptist Church in Titusville. Although all the appointments to complete paperwork at this clinic have been filled, people who walk in can begin the pre-screening process and join a waiting list for legal help to complete the expungement process.

For more information about Volunteer Lawyer Programs, or to find a legal clinic near you, contact the Volunteer Lawyers Program near you:

Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program
Call Center – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m
Wednesday
8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Toll free – 888-857-8571

Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham
205-250-5198

Madison County Volunteer Lawyers Program
256-539-2275

Montgomery County Volunteer Lawyers Program
334-265-0222, ext. 1

South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program
251-438-1102

Read the full story in AL.com.