Application From Existing Organization Seeking

Pro Bono Legal Assistance

To be eligible for free legal assistance through Wayfind Attorneys Supporting Communities (“Wayfind”), your existing organization must demonstrate that it

1.  Has primarily a charitable or community-based purpose;

2.  Is or seeks to become a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization;

3.  Is unable to pay for legal fees without significant impairment of program resources; and

4.  Seeks legal assistance on a business or organizational matter. In other words, Wayfind does not provide assistance in finding you an attorney for legal issues related to current or expected litigation.

To apply for assistance, please complete this Application and send it by e-mail, along with all other requested documents, to . If you do not have the ability to send e-mail, or if you are unable to transfer any of the requested documents into electronic format, you may mail them to:

Wayfind, P.O. Box 2134, Seattle, WA, 98111.

Your application must include a check for $100.00, payable to Wayfind, mailed to the address above. This is a nonrefundable screening/placement fee.

STOP HERE IF YOU ARE SEEKING INITIAL ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR STARTUP ORGANIZATION (FOR EXAMPLE, YOU NEED ASSISTANCE DRAFTING YOUR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, FILING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE, ETC.). PLEASE FILL OUT THE “APPLICATION FOR PRO BONO LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR STARTUP ORGANIZATIONS” at http://wayfindlegal.org/nonprofits/start-up-application/.

1.  Contact Information:

Name of Organization
Street Address
City / County / Zip
Telephone / Website
Primary Contact Person / Title
Telephone / Fax / Email

2.  What is your organization’s mission?

3.  What geographic area(s) or region(s) does your organization serve?

Seattle/King County Greater Puget Sound (including Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, Kitsap Peninsula)
Olympic Peninsula Western Washington Eastern Washington Washington State
Pacific Northwest Nationwide International
Other:

4.  What client population does your organization primarily serve?

5.  If your organization serves a low-income population, please provide the number of unduplicated low-income individuals served in the last fiscal year:

Number of individuals served in the last fiscal year / .

6.  Please summarize your organization’s activities or programs.

7.  What is your organization's combined annual program and operating budget?

$10,000 or less $10,001 - $25,000 $25,001 - $100,000
$100,001 - $250,000 $250,001 - $500,000 Over $500,000

8.  Please describe in detail the immediate legal need for which your organization seeks assistance, and identify any deadlines that apply. Please also enclose copies of any legal papers or documents related to your legal issues (e.g., leases, contracts, correspondence, articles of incorporation, bylaws, tax notices, employment handbooks, etc). Please also describe if there are any deadlines or if your legal need is time sensitive.

9.  Explain in detail why your organization cannot afford to pay for a lawyer now without significant impairment of program resources. If your organization has substantial cash reserves or net income, explain why the reserves or net income cannot be used to pay for legal assistance. If your financial statement shows substantial payments to consultants, please explain.

10.  Has your organization engaged a lawyer in the last two years?

Yes No

If YES, please provide the following information:

1. The lawyer or law firm’s name
2. The general nature of legal services provided
3. Whether the organization paid for the lawyer’s services.

11.  To allow your volunteer attorney to complete a review of potential conflicts-of-interest, please list any affiliates of your organization, and list any individuals or organizations with which your organization has been (in the past two years) or expects to be (in the coming year) involved in litigation, contract negotiations or other legal issues. Please include a list of all relevant creditors.

12.  Please describe any accommodations that your organization may need in connection with the delivery of legal services. (e.g., communication access, mobility access).

13.  How did you hear about Wayfind?

Please include the following with your application as Wayfind cannot screen or place your matter without each of the following documents!

Copy of IRS 501(c)(3) or (c)(4) determination letter; and

List of the names and addresses of the organization’s officers, directors, and key personnel. Addresses should be home addresses in order for our volunteer attorneys to verify that they do not represent existing organizations, companies or individuals with interests in conflict with your organization’s officers, directors, and key personnel; and

Copy of statement of financial condition or Form 990 for the most recently-completed fiscal year. If your organization has an audited financial statement, please include this. If you file a 990N, please include a real profit and loss statement and budget. If more than six months have passed since the end of your last completed fiscal year, please ALSO include the most recent quarterly or year-to-date income/expense report and budget.

A check for $100.00, payable to Wayfind, mailed to Wayfind at P.O Box 2134, Seattle, WA 98111. This is a nonrefundable screening/placement fee.

Please also include, to the extent applicable:

Copies of legal documents related to your particular request for legal assistance (e.g., leases, contracts, correspondence, articles of incorporation, bylaws, tax notices, employment handbooks, etc).


Consents And Acknowledgments

While we will use our best efforts to protect the confidential nature of your organization’s legal issues, we must disclose some descriptive information provided through this Application to properly place your matter. Unless you inform us in writing otherwise, we also may disclose the name of your organization and the general nature of legal matters referred through Wayfind in our annual reports, fundraising and outreach materials, and any success stories or articles we may publish about Wayfind. By your signature below, please acknowledge your consent to such disclosures in any manner that we deem necessary and appropriate.

If we determine that your organization is eligible for free legal assistance through Wayfind, we will use our best efforts to find a volunteer attorney to represent you. We do not know how long it will take to find a volunteer attorney to assist you or if we will be able to do so. Wayfind itself will not be providing you with legal representation. Wayfind assumes no responsibility over the representation you do receive or the outcome. By your signature below, please also acknowledge your understanding of the foregoing description of Wayfind’s services.

Organization
Signature / Date
Name / Title

This Application must be signed by a board member or executive director. The signature page can be scanned and e-mailed with the rest of the Application to or mailed along with the $100.00 payment of the screening/placement fee to Wayfind at P.O Box 2134, Seattle, WA 98111. Please note that if you mail us your Application and associated materials, we may still request that you email the Application and associated materials to us so as to expedite the distribution of your materials to our entire screening committee.

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