MVL Volunteers help to ensure that people in need get professional legal representation for their civil cases. Join in today! Click here to download the MVL Volunteer sign-up sheet.
You can Waive e-filing fees for indigent pro bono clients! Follow These Steps to Waive LexisNexis or ICCES e-filing and e-service fees:
1. Volunteer attorneys doing pro bono cases for MVL (or other qualified legal services provider) receive e-filing (still Lexis-Nexis e-filing until Dec. 31, 2012 and then ICCES thereafter) and e-service for free in cases where the Court qualified legal services provider or the court has approved the client’s waiver of filing fees. (Click here to read the Chief Justice Directive: CJD 98-01.)
2. Clients must request a waiver of filing fees and other court costs. Use JDF 205 and JDF 203 (Motion to File without Payment of Filing Fee and Certification of Determination of Indigency) to request waiver of both the statutory fees and any e-filing fees.
3. Metro Volunteer Lawyers will certify indigency for those who qualify. Prepare the caption for the JDF 203 and have your client fill out JDF 205 completely. Send the completed copies to MVL for review and certification. (MVL must review the client’s client’s JDF 205 in order to determine and certify indigency.)
4. Volunteer attorneys should file the signed JDF 203 Certification of Determination of Indigency from Metro Volunteer Lawyers with the Court with your initial filing. DO NOT FILE THE JDF 205. MVL keeps a copy of the JDF 205 application for our records.
5. When each document is filed through e-filing, be sure to include a Note to the Clerk on the review and submit tab, indicating that statutory fees should be waived since this client has been approved for waiver of fees (if they have). Also, be sure to check the “Filing as Court Appointed Counsel” box in LexisNexis when filing pleadings. By doing so, the LexisNexis transaction fees are waived automatically. In ICCES, check the box labeled “This filing is exempt from filing fees per CJD 98-01, or I am filing as court appointed counsel”. If the e-filing transaction fees are not waived properly, then the attorney can contact LexisNexis/ICCES and ask for a credit of the fees. Be sure to let LN know you are asking for a credit of the fees because your client is indigent.
6. If you (the attorney has) have to search the case records, be sure to select “my transactions” or “transactions in my firm’s cases” and NOT “all transactions”. You will still be charged for searches of cases which are not found at “my transactions” or at “transactions in my firm’s cases”.
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CBA Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (CLE) The Non-Profit educational arm of the Colorado Bar Association and the Denver Bar Association offers high-quality continuing legal education programs and legal publications at competitive prices, with substantial member discounts.
Retired? Not licensed in Colorado? You can still volunteer! Pro Bono/Emeritus Attorneys Retired attorneys and attorneys with out-of-state licenses can apply for a provisional license to work on pro bono cases in Colorado. Click here to read the rule and click here to apply.
Metro Volunteer Lawyers Sample Letter of Engagement <-Click (For volunteer attorneys and their clients)
It is important to have a written agreement about the services your are going to provide to your clients- pro bono or otherwise.
Metro Volunteer Lawyers training
If you missed the CLE during Pro Bono Celebration Week, you can watch the video here: Metro Volunteer Lawyers Training (Courtesy Faegre & Benson, LLP)faegreandbensonllp.mediasite.com. The Metro Volunteer Lawyers training session was held October 29, 2009 at the offices of Faegre & Benson, LLP in Denver, CO.(Javascript is required to view Mediasite content) For a copy of the materials, please call us at MVL to arrange a time to pick up the booklet.
