“The majority of our volunteers come to the VLP and take our CLEs in exchange for taking on a free case,” said Sidney Cherubin, director of legal services at the VLP. “A number of our volunteers are new attorneys learning a number of different practice areas and in exchange for taking our CLEs for free, they take on a pro bono case.

“It’s a win-win for everyone because we’re able to provide services to people in Brooklyn who really need the services and at the same time, we’re teaching and training new attorneys. We’re mentoring them on new matters that they might not be familiar with.”

Cherubin supervises uncontested divorce, guardianship, bankruptcy, consumer debt, estate planning and family law matters at the VLP. He explained that low-income families have come to rely on the VLP, but that their staff of 10 employees is not equipped to handle such a big borough, which is why it relies on pro bono help.

The CLEs are key to attracting attorneys who are willing to help. Perhaps its most popular CLE, “Basics of Uncontested Divorce,” was held at the Brooklyn Bar Association (BBA) on Wednesday. It’s popular because everyone, even the most inexperienced attorneys, can help out.

“We have a constant waitlist of people trying to get divorced and a lot of these cases are very simple where the parties aren’t fighting over anything, custody and child support issues are already resolved or can be resolved very easily,” said Cherubin, who was joined by Joanne Reece, Family Law staff attorney, for the CLE.

“It’s a good way to get people involved and you don’t necessarily have to appear in court because the matter is uncontested. In a few visits you can get the work completed and a person can get divorced in six months to a year,” Cherubin continued.

During the CLE, attorneys were instructed on what exactly constitutes an uncontested divorce, educated on relevant case law and given practical tips on how to handle one. Any attorney who did not pay $150 for the seminar was contacted by Sarah Burrows, the pro bono manager at the VLP, and assigned a case involving an uncontested divorce. If needed, the VLP said it will provide mentorship if problems arise.

The VLP’s next CLE, “Will Drafting: Preparing for a Future Smooth Probate,” will take place on Feb. 22 at the BBA in Brooklyn Heights. For more information, visit BrooklynVLP.com.

Volunteer Recognition Event Coming Up

The VLP will host a Volunteer Recognition event on Jan. 30 at the TD Bank on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, where it will give the Christopher Slattery Young Professional Award to Vernon Mann.

“Every year we try to do something to honor our volunteer attorneys,” Cherubin said. “Next week, we’re giving out the Christopher Slattery Award to Vernon Mann, who is a fairly newly admitted attorney and he’s been doing pro bono work for us for four or five years now. We thought that he was the most fitting person to receive this award.”

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