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Louisiana Supreme Court adopts 'Katrina' Rule On April 27, 2011 the Louisiana Supreme Court entered an order adopting a major disaster rule. Louisiana is the 12th U.S. jurisdiction to adopt a rule based upon the ABA Model Court Rule on Provision of Legal Services Following Determination of Major Disaster. More

American Medical Association Passes Resolution to Support Medical-Legal Partnerships

The American Medical Association (AMA) passed new policy to support Medical-Legal Partnerships earlier this week at the AMA Annual Meeting. The Resolution encourages physicians to work with lawyers, social workers and nurses to improve the health and well-being of their patients. The Resolution states that the AMA should work with physician groups and other stakeholder organizations to 1) educate physicians on the impact of unmet legal needs on the health of their patients and 2) provide physicians, hospitals and health centers with information on medical-legal partnerships.

Press Release

ABA Response

Report from AMA Board of Trustees

AMA News

New web resource on Judicial Promotion of and Participation in Pro Bono

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service recently released a webpage on judicial promotion of and participation in pro bono. See apps.americanbar.org/legalservices/probono/judicial/home.html. The webpage highlights the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct and its rule 3.7, which gives explicit permission to judges to encourage and support pro bono. It also discusses state adoptions of this code, as well as other state judicial codes that include permissive language regarding judges promoting pro bono. Furthermore the page covers how judges can be involved on a local level, through participation in local pro bono committees. The page also provides information on state ethics opinions that address the issue of judicial encouragement of pro bono and whether court attorney employees can do pro bono.

In addition to rules, the webpage features pro bono programs that judges have set up within their courts, administrative accomodations that judges have implemented for attorneys who do pro bono, recognition events and recruitment techniques that judges employ to encourage pro bono participation, and resolutions and other policies that judges have passed to encourage pro bono. For inquiries related to this webpage and to submit content, please contact Jamie Hochman Herz, Assistant Committee Counsel, by email Jamie.Herz@americanbar.org or 312 988-5748.

Chair of ABA National Pro Bono Celebration Speaks to the Importance of Pro Bono

( Daily Journal, 10/23/2009)

Pay Cut for Public Service (ABA Journal June 2009)

Looking for Tax Deductions? Don't Forget Pro Bono Expenditures

Small Nonprofits Face New Filing Rules

Beginning in 2008, small tax-exempt groups (defined by the IRS as those with $25,000 or less in annual gross receipts) must complete a new electronic Form 990-N, called an e-Postcard, within 30 days of the close their tax year. Previously, such groups did not have to complete a filing. Please see the Philanthropy Journal article on this topic or the IRS website for additional information.

Director Appointed for the National Medical-Legal Partnerships Pro Bono Support Project

The American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono is pleased to announce that on December 1, 2008, Kelly Scott joined the Center as the Staff Attorney for the ABA National Medical-Legal Partnerships Pro Bono Support Project. Ms. Scott, a graduate of Texas Christian University and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, holds an LL. M. in Child and Family Law from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She can be reached at (312) 988-5805 or email Kelly.ScottFlood@americanbar.org.

Four National Groups Create Online Resource to Provide Information for Disaster Victims

Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Committee Completes 2007 Mini-Grants

In the summer of 2007 the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Committee selected five applicants to receive mini-grants worth $5,000 for projects designed to increase the dispute resolution opportunities for low income and underserved populations. The mini-grants were made possible by a grant from the JAMS Foundation. Over the course of the year, these five programs were able to build upon existing relationships within their communities to develop greater support and infrastructure for dispute resolution services to meet the needs of their low-income community. For further information regarding the mini-grants, see an October 2008 article from the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Committee website.

Military Pro Bono Project Links Volunteer Lawyers with Military Personnel Needing Civil

Unlike several legal service programs that have surfaced to assist veterans, the Military Pro Bono Project is uniquely focused on provision of pro bono services to active-duty service members, many of whom remain deployed to areas of conflict. The Project will directly help service members by moving cleared pro bono referrals straight from military law offices to willing-and-able private sector lawyer volunteers throughout the country. Needs are arising in the areas of consumer law, family law, landlord-tenant, employment law, and other areas. Their families often unfortunately require assistance in the area of probate, trusts and estates, or guardianship law.

The Military Pro Bono Project is a joint venture of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel (LAMP) and the ABA Section of Litigation, with assistance from the .

Read the news release,

read the FAQ or go on to the Project Website.

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Training and Workshops

New Resource - the National Consumer Law Center's Bankruptcy Mortgage Project This Credit Slips post announces the launch of the National Consumer Law Center’s Bankruptcy Mortgage Project. The resource includes forms and other documents relating to the handling of mortgages issues in bankruptcy cases. You can access the Project here: http://www.bankruptcymortgageproject.org/

Low Wage Earner Tax Assistance Programs CLE Materials Available

The ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Pro Bono Work Committee sponsored a CLE workshop Volunteering in Low Wage Earner Tax Assistance Programs: An Opportunity for Pro Bono Service at its 3rd Annual Fall CLE Conference in Washington D.C. Panelists in this program explored the public policy, legal issues, and practical/ethical considerations in providing pro bono tax assistance to the working poor. Materials for this program are available at http://abalel.omnibooksonline.com/2009/

National Solo and Small Firm Conference Public Service Workshop Materials Available

The ABA General Practice Solo and Small firm Division’s 2009 Fall Meeting and National Solo and Small Firm Conference included two panels focused on service to others. Practicing for the Public Good highlighted several ways solo and small firm practitioners serve the needs of underrepresented or disadvantaged people or causes. Models discussed included a standard private firm with a formal commitment to pro bono service; a private public interest law firm whose primary mission is to assist underrepresented people or causes; a non-profit law firm funded by donors and staffed by law firm attorneys and volunteers; and an independent volunteer program. To download materials from this workshop, click here.

The Young Lawyers Institute at the GPSolo 2009 Fall Meeting and National Solo and Small Firm Conference included a panel entitled Starting a Low Bono Program in Your Area. To download materials from this workshop, click here

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Awards and Applause

2011 Pro Bono Publico Award Recipients Announced

Drummond Woodsum Wins the 2010 ABA Frances Perkin's Public Service Award for Pro Bono Work

The ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law presented the 2010 Frances Perkin's Public Service Award to Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon during the Section's 2010 Annual CLE Conference in Chicago. The award was provided in recognition of the firm's work on behalf of low-income individuals denied unemployment compensation. The project began when Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) and Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA) contacted the firm due to lacking sufficient resources to represent the many callers denied unemployment compensation in the downturned economy. In response, David Sherman, Drummond Woodsum's pro bono coordinator, obtained a commitment from the firm's attorneys that each would take four cases per year. Sherman worked with VLP to develop an efficient and workable system for sending unemployment compensation cases to the firm. Since this project began in the spring of 2009, the firm has provided representation to dozens of employees and has had a more than 85% success rate for the clients.

In his acceptance speech, Sherman noted that this project is very doable even for the busy attorneys in his firm. Each case typically requires three to five hours of the attorney's time. He stated that an attorney can take a case without the fear of it turning into a prolonged project. He also highlighted benefits to the firm, including the expertise which the lawyers developed from sharing and learning from one another's experiences. Also, the opportunity of working with a client and presenting a matter to the state department of labor has the advantage of allowing the attorneys to hone their skills. Drummond Woodsum is one of Maine's largest law firms, with offices in Portland, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Frances Perkins Award recognizes individuals or organizations that demonstrate a significant commitment to providing pro bono legal services primarily in the areas of labor and employment law to persons of limited means or organizations designed to serve persons of limited means. To find out more about the Perkins Award, requirements for nomination, and profiles of past recipients, click here. For information about the Section of Labor and Employment's Pro Bono Work Committee, click here.

Recipients of Award group photo
From left to right, front row: Brian Willing, George Royle, Jerry Crouter, Jeff Piampiano
From Left to right, back row:Tom Trenholm, Toby Dilworth, Melissa Hewey, Kaighn Smith, Peter Felmly, David Kallin and David Sherman.

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Funding Opportunities

American College of Bankruptcy grants for pro bono organizations addressing bankruptcy/debtor/creditor law issues

Verizon Foundation Offers Georgia Nonprofits $100,000 in Domestic Violence Prevention Grants

Empowerment Grants for Non-Profits through the Motorola Mobility Foundation

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