Philadelphia VIP

We are proud to present VIP's 2023 Annual Report. Read it here:https://www.phillyvip.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Philadelphia-VIP-2023-Annual-Report-Digital.pdf

Last year, volunteers like you contributed 21,969 hours to our clients – that's over $8.4 million in free legal services.

While many of you assisted our neighbors through urgent legal crises, still others took proactive steps to help our clients build and grow, as in our Community Economic Development project and estate planning initiative. Both of these programs reached new heights in 2023.

We hope you will join us in reflecting on our shared work and take inspiration for your own pro bono mission, whatever that may be.

Last week at our Summer Pro Bono Program, we invited summer associates from across Philly to a seminar on the profession’s highest calling: helping others who can’t afford a lawyer.

The law students who joined us are the future of the city’s legal community and, hopefully, future VIP volunteers. They heard from outstanding VIP volunteers Kristine Calalang, Tim Hoban, Robin Holts, and Kevin M. Levy about the benefits of having an active pro bono practice.

Thanks to our panelists, judges, and students, to our keynote speaker Lou Rulli, and to Pennsylvania Bar Institute for hosting us.

Last week, VIP's volunteer community came together for our Awards Night at FMC Tower to celebrate the outstanding pro bono attorneys and other partners who make our work possible.

We also inducted five attorneys into our Hall of Fame – an honor that recognizes extraordinary pro bono work over at least a decade. Taken together, this year's five Hall of Fame volunteers have handled nearly 500 VIP cases.

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week, and one final word of congratulations to all our award-winning volunteers and partners!

Read more here: https://www.phillyvip.org/blog/2024/05/vips-2024-awards-night/

Awards season isn’t over yet! Join VIP on May 16 at FMC Tower for our Annual Awards Night, where we recognize the year’s top volunteers and partner organizations.

RSVP and read more about the event HERE: https://phillyvip.org/awards

JUSTICE WILLIAM J. BRENNAN, JR. AWARDS
Kyoung Williams
Feldman & Feldman, LLP
Saul Ewing LLP
GSK

TRAILBLAZING PARTNER AWARD
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky

AMICUS AWARD
Christine Flynn

PRO BONO IMPACT AWARD
Abel Garza, Esq.

MVP OF VIP AWARD
Jason W. Rubin, Esq.

Celebrate excellence with us on May 16: https://phillyvip.org/awards

NEW VIDEO: VIP clients Leslie and Esther Davis know how a tangled title can frustrate hopes for homeownership. Listen to their story about working with a VIP volunteer (starting at 3:09).

This video showcases the impact of the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative (NPI), an expansion of decades of City investment in homeownership and affordable housing. The NPI has been a resounding success, and VIP is proud to be a part of it.

In 2021, City Council worked with a coalition of elected officials, the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, and the Division of Housing and Community Development to roll out this massive investment in resolving tangled titles in the hardest-hit neighborhoods and addressing barriers to justice.

Thanks to NPI support, VIP volunteers serve more low-income residents with tangled titles – like Leslie and Esther – than ever before. And we’re not alone: VIP is one agency in a team of legal service providers including Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, the SeniorLAW Center, and more who work together to tackle housing issues in Philly.

Learn how together we're helping to expand access to justice for more families like Leslie and Esther's across the city. WATCH:

Neighborhood Preservation Initiative To find out more about the Neighborhood preservation Initiative go to https://phlcouncil.com/neighborhood-preservation-initiative/

VIP Supervising Attorney Lindsay Schoonmaker, volunteer Steve Heimann, and clients Leslie and Esther Davis shared perspectives on access to justice for the Pursuing Justice podcast.

Check out this piece from Practising Law Institute about VIP's work to preserve homeownership and family wealth and our partnership with Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia in the podcast episode below.

Thanks to PLI, Carrie Rathmann and the Habitat team, and our volunteers and clients for producing this important piece of storytelling!

Protecting Philly Homeowners There is a looming crisis in Philadelphia, where the poverty rate is high, the housing stock is old, and gentrification is transforming traditionally Black neighborhoods. The ability to pass on generational wealth is at risk, as families who thought they legally inherited their homes encounter “ta...

Happy Volun-tine's Day from Philadelphia VIP. We love our volunteers! Today is a great day to take our Find Your Pro Bono Match quiz.

Do you want to advocate for your client in court? Want a transactional matter that you can chip away at over a few months? Or are you not sure where to begin?

The quiz will suggest opportunities from our case list that match your desired time commitment, your preference for litigation or transactional work, and other factors. It's a good way to find the right pro bono matter for you.

Take the quiz here: https://www.phillyvip.org/find-your-pro-bono-match/

November's Volunteer of the Month is Frannie Reilly of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, a longtime volunteer in VIP's nonprofit & small business program.

“It’s all about community building. You help get one business up and running, and then that business provides an income for families. It does work with other businesses in the neighborhood. VIP talks so much about impact, and this is an area where it’s so easy to see the impact on our city.”

Read more about Frannie at the link below ⬇

Volunteer of the Month: Frannie Reilly November’s VIP volunteer of the month is Frannie Reilly, a longtime pro bono attorney, trainer, and mentor.

VIP aims to raise $75,000 by December 31 to connect Philadelphia families, businesses, and community groups with free legal help in 2024. Please help us reach our goal: www.phillyvip.org/donate

When you make a gift to VIP, you support a small but mighty organization that leverages tens of thousands of pro bono hours and millions of dollars of donated legal services yearly.

The beneficiaries of your gift are our low-income neighbors who need a lawyer but cannot afford one – as well as the hundreds of Philadelphia attorneys who connect with local, meaningful pro bono work through VIP each year.

We need your help to keep doing this work in 2024. We're over 30% of the way to our goal. Please join in supporting our mission and expanding access to justice in Philly.

Our team celebrated "VIPsgiving" last week. We're thankful for our volunteers, our donors, and each of our fellow VIPsters who work hard to secure pro bono representation for our clients.

VIP will be closed from Wednesday, November 22 through Friday, November 24. Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week, VIP and Cozen O'Connor held a legal clinic. Fourteen entrepreneurs received free legal advice on everything from patenting shoe designs to creating employment contracts to the many intricacies of opening a restaurant.

Thanks to the Cozen team for hosting us, and thanks especially to the volunteer attorneys who helped our clients build stable, legally sound businesses in their neighborhoods!

What’s scarier than going to court without a lawyer? This Halloween, treat your low-income neighbors to the pro bono legal help they need. Don’t be afraid to try something new – your friends at Philly VIP have your back with training, mentorship, and other resources.

Knock on our door tonight to get started on a new case: https://www.phillyvip.org/case-listings/