The Volunteer Lawyers Network helps thousands of low-income Minnesotans every year, providing free legal services to Minnesotans who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. I have been volunteering with VLN since I graduated from law school in 2003, and I joined the board of directors in 2010. VLN named me its Volunteer of the Year in 2011, which earned me a place in its annual report (PDF).
Here’s the writeup:
Sam Glover has been an active participant with Volunteer Lawyers Network since he graduated from law school in 2003. Since then, he has started his own practice, been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star, continued his extensive advocacy for consumer rights, and currently serves on VLN’s board of directors.
For the first few years of his practice, Sam focused his work around the ever-changing field of creditor/debtor issues. At VLN, he applied his extensive knowledge to increasing the resources necessary to deliver quality brief services. “One of the things I’m really excited to see grow is the brief legal services.” Sam was instrumental in the development of VLN’s consumer protection workshop. The workshop provides a structure for volunteer attorneys to complete court paperwork for clients responding to lawsuits. VLN arms volunteers with the tools necessary to offer a full range of options with efficiency and confidence. “One of the most impressive things about VLN is how it is able to take a small office of people and leverage it into an army of volunteers. VLN does an enormous amount of good.”
Sam Glover’s sustained contribution to the Minnesota legal community and to VLN has done much to enrich the quality and availability of legal services for those in need. What does justice mean to Sam? “I think justice boils down to something very simple, and that’s just getting a fair deal. Like it or not, the system is stacked against those who cannot afford lawyers versus those who can afford good lawyers. VLN does a lot to balance the scale, by getting good lawyers to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them.”
VLN gives access to justice to those who cannot afford it. It is vital to Minnesota, and I am proud to be a part of it. You can donate now to help keep VLN strong, or find out about volunteer opportunities.