CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY

CHRISTIAN LEGAL AID MINISTRY


Introduction to CLS Recommended Christian Legal Aid

 

What Is It?                 Providing legal and related spiritual advice, limited assistance and referral mostly by volunteer Christian lawyers (and law students and paralegals under supervision). Services rendered include advice on commonly occurring simple problems of the poor and homeless. Christian lawyers team up with local sponsors such as Gospel/rescue missions, Salvation Army units, churches and church ministries having a common purpose in serving the poor and homeless.
     
How Is it Carried Out?               By interviewing and helping certain of the poor and homeless if possible on the site of the sponsor agency or church and by using CLS developed basic practice tools, which simplify the rendering of legal services by any volunteer.
     

Why Do It?                                      

  Because God commands His people to “defend the needy and the afflicted” in numerous commands similar to Prov. 31:9 and because volunteers are finding this to be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling ways to serve the Lord in their profession.
     
Who Can Do It?   Any Christian lawyer and law student or paralegal who agrees to volunteer three to four hours a month (or more) as an interviewer (and/or as a backup lawyer or resource person for interviewers) and is willing to take a CLS developed basic training course to equip him or her for such service.
     
What Else Does it Do?   Provides voluntary opportunities for lawyers or law students to be discipled, mentored or nurtured and trained by more experienced lawyers, and, for all volunteers to become advocates of the cause of the poor.