The Saturday Lawyers Program functions as a collaborative effort between AVLF and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society (ALAS). It is through Saturday Lawyers that a majority of AVLF's eligible clients receive representation. 

Each week, staff attorneys from AVLF and ALAS prescreen clients for financial and geographical eligibility and review each case to ensure that the client has an appropriate legal problem. Eligible clients are subsequently scheduled for a Saturday Lawyer meeting and assigned to a volunteer attorney.  If you have a legal problem that you would like help with, please call AVLF between 9:00 AM and 12:00, Monday through Friday at 404-521-0790.

TYPICAL SATURDAY LAWYER CASES

• Settling a case in which a client was wrongfully evicted
• Handling a name change
• Obtaining a judgment in Magistrate Court over faulty automobile repairs
• Negotiating with a landlord to make necessary repairs to a housing unit
• Securing return of a security deposit from a landlord
• Negotiating lower payments on a payment schedule for a loan on which the client had gone into default

The Saturday Lawyer Program takes place on Saturday mornings at the Legal Aid downtown office. Each volunteer is assigned to interview two to four clients. A Legal Aid staff attorney is present each Saturday to serve as a mentor and potential backup resource to the volunteers. An AVLF staff attorney or the Deputy Director is also available to the volunteer as a backup resource throughout the representation of the client. This initial meeting is the beginning of what AVLF's history has shown to be a professional and productive relationship between the volunteer and client.

Prior to each Saturday meeting, AVLF staff members and attorneys work diligently to strike a balance between the number of available volunteers and the number of clients needing assistance. These numbers fluctuate from week to week and sometimes from day to day. Despite the challenge of ensuring an adequate representation of both volunteers and clients, in 2006, AVLF referred 289 clients to 148 volunteer lawyers through the Saturday Lawyer Program.

The viability of the Saturday Lawyer Program is dependent upon the retention of existing volunteers, as well as the recruiting of new volunteers. AVLF seeks to strengthen its relationship with existing volunteers by maintaining regular and consistent communication with the volunteers and by actively providing resource materials to the volunteers. AVLF's Board and Advisory Board members and staff have an ongoing commitment to recruiting volunteers for the program.

AVLF's Director speaks to new Georgia Bar members at the semi- annual swearing-in ceremonies to introduce new members to the pro bono opportunities, particularly the Saturday Lawyer Program, available through AVLF.

The AVLF Director and staff make regular recruiting and informational presentations to firms in the Atlanta area. Through the years, these efforts have resulted in the recruiting of hundreds of dedicated and talented volunteers. This year alone, AVLF has recruited 88 new volunteers.

AVLF is proud of its volunteers, who collectively contribute thousands of hours assisting clients in cases involving consumer issues, contract issues, car purchases, repairs and repossessions, debt relief, privatized and subsidized housing landlord tenant disputes, wage claims, and problems involving real or personal property. As a result of the attorney's intervention and negotiation skills, many of these cases are resolved without the necessity of a trial. However, in those cases where a trial is necessary, the results are typically in favor of our client. Our volunteers benefit from the trial experience by enhancing their litigation experience in what is in most cases, a totally new practice area.

AVLF is committed to strengthening and enhancing the Saturday Lawyers Program by continuing to focus on the recruitment of volunteers and by expanding the boundaries of the program's traditional areas of representation in order to meet the needs of the community.