On Oct. 20, during Celebrate Pro Bono Week, we published a list of many pro bono attorneys, volunteer paralegals and volunteer law students who have been involved in the delivery of pro bono legal services during the last year.
We thanked them for their service to low-income people.
Now, building on the gratitude expressed with that listing, we applaud their efforts to make these and other projects effective and meaningful.
Hundreds of volunteers expand legal services with:
• Civil case acceptance and representation of veterans, seniors, children, immigrants and people in need
• Ask-A-Lawyer events
• Estate planning intake nights
• Advance directives for seniors quarterly events
• Seal/expunge clinics
• Family law group information clinics
• Lawyers in Libraries presentations
• Guardian ad Litem assistance
• Pro se bankruptcy assistance clinics
• Civil rights restoration clinics
• Bankruptcy information clinics
• Intake and counsel at the City Rescue Mission
• Citizenship Day
• One Lawyer, One Life project to help 17-year-olds in foster care
• Nonprofit organizations pro bono legal services forum
• Attorney ad Litem representation in dependency matters
• Special Assistant Public Defender project
• CLE presentations for other pro bono attorneys and legal services staff attorneys
• Counsel at Missing Link meetings
• Expert resource guidance for other pro bono attorneys and legal services staff attorneys
• Girls Court assistance
Pro bono representation provides meaningful and effective assistance in a variety of settings and contexts.
Pro bono attorneys advocate, encourage and empower. They provide guidance, options, and information. Pro bono attorneys change lives for the better. They stabilize families and neighborhoods.
Their work benefits many facets of our community and enables people to move ahead with optimism and hope. It is with deep gratitude this Thanksgiving season that we acknowledge many of the ways pro bono attorneys assist the vulnerable and underserved.
Attorneys who would more information on the opportunities listed above and the many support services available to pro bono attorneys, are encouraged to contact Kathy Para, chair, The JBA Pro Bono Committee, at [email protected].