In the Lawyer Pro Bono Legal Service Report, a lawyer must state the number of pro bono service hours donated in the previous fiscal year, how many of those hours were in matters referred by a pro bono or legal services organization, the areas of law involved, the number of hours the lawyer devoted to activities to improve the law, the legal system, or the legal profession, and any financial contribution made to one or more organizations that provide legal service to people of limited means.
Pictured below at left David K. Trevaskis, PBA pro bono coordinator, and Michael E. Kelley, staff attorney with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, speak before a group of Montgomery County lawyers at the Oct. 24 Pro Bono Week celebration and expungement CLE at Montgomery Bar Association headquarters, Norristown.
Pro bono programs help low-income people find volunteer lawyers who are willing to give free legal advice or, in more rare instances, to actually handle an entire case for free. Some of these probrams also offer a free legal hotline that you can call in order to ask an attorney for a quick legal opinion.
You can look for pro bono programs in your area by visiting the attorney search page here on HG.org or by contacting your local bar association. Are There Any Other Free Legal Programs?
Contact Nancy at Leadership Academy/Access to Justice/Program Coordinator, Montgomery Bar Association, 100 West Airy Street, Norristown, Pa. 19404, 610-994-3663, nancywalsh@montgomerybar.org .
The Chapter’s pro bono chair is responsible for acting upon the Court’s requests for volunteer attorneys. An important feature of the pro bono program is that new attorneys are allowed a “grace period” of two years of practice (from their first state court admission) before they are asked to accept a case assignment.
Assuming that a volunteer attorney does undertake to pursue the case, the attorney is asked to file an entry of appearance promptly. When no volunteer attorney is willing to accept an appointment of counsel, the court may revoke the conditional order for the appointment of counsel.
A pro se indigent litigant may apply to the Court to have a volunteer attorney appointed to represent the litigant in a civil case. When the Court makes a determination that a request for a volunteer attorney is appropriate, it conditionally grants the motion for the appointment of counsel.
At the conclusion of a case, any court-appointed pro bono attorney may request reimbursement from the court for costs necessarily incurred, not to exceed the maximum amount established by Standing Order (currently $1,500.00), provided that the attorney has not otherwise received or will not receive funds sufficient to cover the costs incurred. Specific requirements for requesting reimbursement of costs are set forth in Local Rule 83.34.6. A similar written application is presented to seek funds from the Federal Bar Association’s expense fund.
A Lawyer may claim 1 hour of standard CLE credit for every 6 hours of pro bono legal representation that the lawyer provides. Contact the program you volunteer through, or the CLE Board for details.
Beginning January 1, 2022, the Minnesota Office of Lawyer Registration will collect information from lawyers regarding their fulfillment of the aspirational goals for pro bono service in Rule 6.1. Learn More. .