About the YLS Special Grants Program

• Special Grants Guidelines (PDF)
• Special Grants Application (PDF)

Lawyers are naturally creative people. While most of us will not be the next Monet or Picasso, we often see needs in our communities and then help create solutions to those needs. Oftentimes, those solutions need funding.

Over the years, the Young Lawyers Section of the Alabama State Bar has helped fund community projects. This willingness to fund law-related community projects has led to the Minority Pre-Law Conference in Montgomery and Birmingham. A few years ago, we also helped fund a Teen Court program in Andalusia.

Most lawyers across the state did not know that we were willing to assist in funding projects like this. So, this year, we decided to formalize this process through providing “special grants.” The YLS has pledged to donate $3,000 in grants this year and we are planning different fundraising events so that, hopefully, we can give away even more next year.

The applications should be for a specific law related project or organization that provides low cost/no cost legal services within the State of Alabama. The Teen Court program is a great example of how attorneys in a local area can get together and make a difference in their community and in the lives of others.

If there is a law-related community need in your area, go to www.alabamayls.org and get a grant application. You can also obtain an application or more information by contacting me or Shay Lawson at 205-752-0644. You have until September 1 to submit the applications and we will award the grants by November 1. There are a lot of projects out there that just need a little funding (and a lot of hard work) to get them going. I hope you will do your part to make that happen.

The Special Grants Program of the Young Lawyers Section raises funds which are used to award grants to worthy, non-profit organizations in Alabama. These non-profits sponsor law-related projects and/or provide legal services to Alabama citizens in need.

The Young Lawyers Section of the Alabama State Bar plans to award approximately $3,000 in Special Grants in 2006. Your donation to the Special Grants fund will enable YLS to reach or exceed this goal and advance its effort to financially assist worthwhile legal projects in our State.