Denver Bar Foundation

A nonprofit organization

This is the Denver Bar Foundation's page for Metro Volunteer Lawyers. Celebrating its 50th year anniversary, Metro Volunteer Lawyers (formerly the Thursday Night Bar) is a program of the Denver Bar Association, working to help bridge the gap in access to justice by coordinating the provision of pro bono civil legal services by attorneys within the Denver Metro Area to people in need. Metro Volunteer Lawyers is partially funded by the Denver Bar Foundation.

Testimonials

"On those rare days when I question why I became an attorney in the first place, I open my middle drawer of my desk and pull out thank you notes I've saved from former MVL and Project Safeguard clients and I am reminded of the good attorneys can do for people. I know first-hand how important MVL is for low income individuals in need of legal assistance in Denver. I have been an attorney in Colorado for almost 20 years and have volunteered with MVL in the past so I am familiar with the great work that MVL does. The past few years I have been too busy to volunteer with MVL as much as I'd like because of other volunteer commitments and so I thought a donation would be in order this year."
-Kimberly Allegretti

"I was overwhelmed by fear of what might happen to my daughter. Metro Volunteer Lawyers gave me peace and faith in humanity. From the time I met them, I knew how committed they were to help. I will be thankful to this group of lawyers for the rest of my life. The quality of support from Metro Volunteer Lawyers was excellent, especially the attorney who took my case who exceeded my expectations. He always displayed so much professionalism. Thanks to the commitment and great heart of this group of lawyers, my life took a complete change forever, and I obtained so much peace. Thank you wholeheartedly to Metro Volunteer Lawyers, and I wish them the very best."
-Client of MVL's Family Law Court Program

Mission

"To bridge the gap in access to justice by coordinating the provision of pro bono legal services by volunteer lawyers within the Denver Metro Area to people who could not otherwise afford legal services for their civil legal issues."

Background Statement

Metro Volunteer Lawyers is the oldest continuing program of its kind in the United States. MVL was established in 1966 by a group of young Denver Bar Association lawyers, then called the Thursday Night Bar. The founding attorneys met with clients each Thursday evening. The attorneys provided what help and advice they could in person on Thursday nights, then met the next morning to discuss the clients' matters and assign themselves or other lawyers they recruited to carry on with the numerous matters that could not be completed during the Thursday night sessions. The efforts of these original lawyers continued and strengthened a long tradition of volunteerism and public service by lawyers all across Colorado.

The Thursday Night Bar was renamed Metro Volunteer Lawyers in 1998 to reflect the program's growth and expansion beyond Thursday nights. Today MVL is a program of the Denver Bar Association, co-sponsored by the Adams/Broomfield, Arapahoe, Douglas/Elbert, and First Judicial District Bar Associations. MVL has three full-time staff members, which include a Director, a Legal Services Coordinator, and a Family Law Court Program Coordinator, in addition to a part-time Program Assistant, a Rovira Scholar Fellow, and multiple student interns.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Denver Bar Foundation

other names

MVL, Thursday Night Bar

Year Established

2003

Tax id (EIN)

74-2554415

Category

Crime & Legal-Related

Address

1905 Sherman St., Ste. 400
Denver, CO 80203

Other

1900 Grant St., 9th Floor
Denver, CO 80203

Service areas

Denver County, CO, US

Phone

3038601112

Other

303-830-8210

Other

303-860-1115

Social Media