Volunteer Lawyers for Justice

Volunteer Lawyers for Justice

Direct Services Agency

Anti-Trafficking; Sexual Abuse/Assault; Crime Victims; Labor Exploitation

Adult; Female; Foreign National; Labor Trafficking; Male; Minor (Under 18); Sex Trafficking; Transgender Female-to-Male; Transgender Male-to-Female; Citizen/Legal Permanent Resident

A-3 Visa Holders; H-2B Visa Holders; H-2B Visa Holders - Forestry; G-5 Visa Holders; J-1 Visa Holders; H-2A Visa Holders

Victims living in New Jersey or with legal issues in New Jersey

9-5; Trafficking Program Lead direct extension

English; Spanish; Portuguese

VOCA funding; Other private funding

VLJ is a comprehensive, statewide legal assistance program based in Newark, New Jersey. VLJ’s mission is to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged and at-risk adults, children and families in New Jersey by empowering them with the tools, advice and representation to obtain fair and equal treatment within the legal system. VLJ provides legal education, advice and direct legal service to the over 400,000, or one out of three, New Jersey residents living at or below poverty who face a civil legal problem each year. With seven attorneys on staff, VLJ works to leverage the most legal resources for low-income clients in need. Not only do VLJ’s staff attorneys manage their own case loads, but they also recruit, train and mentor hundreds of volunteer attorneys to provide legal services to thousands of clients per year. VLJ operates distinct legal projects in the areas of bankruptcy, consumer law, divorce, child support, disaster legal response, education, prisoner reentry, trafficking victims legal assistance, and veterans’ issues.

VLJ's Trafficking Victims Legal Assistance Program was launched in 2015, and provides representation to trafficking victims seeking to vacate criminal arrests and convictions that resulted because of the trafficking.