Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project
The Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (PCBA VLP) provides volunteer attorneys to represent low-income individuals in civil legal matters for residents of Polk County, Iowa, and/or venue of the case in Polk County, Iowa. Some of the case types we are able to assist with include family law, consumer matters, housing, guardianship and wills.
In most family law matters in Polk County, mediation will be required in order to resolve potential disputed issues. The PCBA VLP also provides volunteer mediators.
The program does not assist with criminal cases or cases that potentially could result in a financial settlement such as initiating a personal injury case.
The Project offered assistance in approximately 1,000 cases in 2025 providing hundreds of hours of pro bono services to the community.
If you are interested in applying for assistance you may complete the online application below or contact the PCBA VLP case intake line between 9 -11:30 a.m. and 1:30 - 4 p.m. at 515-243-3904.
Application for Legal Services
Application for Family Law Legal Services
Are you an attorney interested in volunteering?
Information for Attorneys on Representing VLP Clients
Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Friday Family Law Clinic
On most Friday afternoons at the Polk County Courthouse, in cooperation with the courts in Polk County, we provide assistance outside the family law courtrooms for folks with scheduled family law pretrial conferences. Volunteer attorneys offer free guidance, helping litigants understand case requirements, complete forms, and file required paperwork.
If you already have a family law case on file, whether you are a petitioner or a respondent, we may be able to assist you on the date of your pretrial conference with completing your pretrial conference paperwork ordered by the court. Please contact us to learn more by calling our legal assistance line at 515-243-3904.
Polk County Bar Association Attorney Fee Arbitration Service
The Polk County Bar Association (PCBA) created the PCBA Attorney Fee Arbitration Committee as an easy and confidential way of resolving fee disputes between clients and attorneys.
A form of Alternative Dispute Resolution, the process is informal, final, and cost-free to both the client and the attorney. While created and governed by the PCBA, the Committee can, by agreement of the client and the attorney, hear complaints from throughout the State of Iowa. Click on the links below for details and forms. For more information contact Committee Chairperson Alex Johnson at (515) 242-2426.
Click on the links below for more for information on other community legal resources:
