Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, hosted its annual Summer Pro Bono Program on June 11, 2010 to further its commitment to preventing homelessness by providing pro bono legal services to low-income clients.

Over 100 law students attended a substantive training on mortgage foreclosure. The training was focused on saving homes through the City of Philadelphia's Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Project.

The attendees will assist VIP volunteer attorneys to negotiate affordable loan modifications and payment arrangements to help keep low-income Philadelphians in their homes.

The students met with judges from the First Judicial District as well as VIP board members to learn important lessons about being a lawyer and the importance of pro bono work from seasoned attorneys.

Summer Pro Bono Program 2010 took place one day before the second anniversary of the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Project.

In the past two years, VIP has trained nearly 600 attorneys and law students to represent low-income clients who wish to save their home from foreclosure. VIP's volunteers have helped almost 800 clients and their families remain in their homes.

Philadelphia VIP was founded in 1981 by the Philadelphia Bar Association and Community Legal Services to meet the legal needs of low-income Philadelphians by recruiting and training attorneys to provide pro bono legal services for individuals, families, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Today, VIP’s diverse volunteers serve more than 2,500 clients annually with legal issues that affect basic human needs.