Administrative Office of Courts
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Free family law clinic set for residents of Madison, Holmes, Leake and Yazoo counties July 26, 2021 Low income residents of Madison, Holmes, Leake and Yazoo counties may receive free civil legal assistance at a family law clinic scheduled for Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Madison County Chancery Courthouse, 146 West Center Street in Canton. The clinic will offer assistance with family law matters including uncontested irreconcilable differences divorce, uncontested guardianships, name changes and birth certificate corrections. Volunteer lawyers will provide legal assistance to people who can't afford to hire an attorney. Participants must be screened for eligibility based on income. Participant may register on the website of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, https://www.mvlp.net/clinics. MVLP organized the clinic. Volunteer lawyers give people enough basic legal advice and directions so that they can handle simple legal matters on their own. Attorneys at the legal clinic will help clients prepare documents, give limited legal advice and help them get ready to go to court on their own. Chancellor Cynthia Brewer said, "The purpose of the clinic is to aid persons who can't complete their respective cases due to ineffective pleadings, or incorrect forms, or failure to notify or serve someone" with copies of court documents. "The clinic is a public service to the citizens but it's also a way for attorneys to 'give back' pro bono hours." All volunteer attorneys will receive continuing legal education credit for their service at the clinic. The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Access to Justice Commission are working to schedule free civil legal assistance clinics for residents of other parts of the state. A list of free legal clinics across the state is at this link: https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/CivilLegal.php. Clinic topics and limitations are posted on the clinic schedule on the Mississippi Judiciary website at https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/CivilLegal.php, or on the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project website at https://www.mvlp.net/clinics. #### |
