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The ABA’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is pleased to release a white paper concerning New York’s 50-hour mandatory pro bono admission requirement and its potential application in other states. We’ll continue to monitor and revise this report as further developments occur across the country. Please direct any updates in your state to steve.grumm@americanbar.org.

By: Steve Grumm, Senior Staff Attorney, Standing Committee for Pro Bono & Public Service

1.14.15 – the Los Angeles Unified School District is considering a plan to have some of its lawyers devote pro bono time to representing unaccompanied minor students facing deportation proceedings. Even if the plan goes forward only a small number of students would receive his help. (CBS Los Angeles)
1.8.15 – “On Jan. 29…more than 1,000 other lawyers and advocates from across the commonwealth…[will be] attending the annual “Walk to the Hill’ in support of a substantial increase in funding for the statewide network of civil legal service programs funded by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.” Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, who co-chairs the Mass. ATJ Commission, will be among the participants. (Dorchester Reporter op-ed)
1.8.15 - a password-protected 2015 pro bono preview from Law360: “In 2015, look for the real story in pro bono legal services beneath the numbers. It’s pretty clear by now that even consistently robust hours — up to 5 million a year in the United States for several years running — are not enough to meet demand from poor persons in need of legal help. Given that the justice gap, like the wealth gap, seems only to widen with time, the good news lies not in the numbers alone, but in how these hours are utilized.”
December, 2014 – from The Washington Lawyer: As many lawyers from the Baby Boomer generation find themselves in a position to retire, they also find themselves in a position to devote a significant amount of their time and energy to pro bono and public service work.”
- The ABA Commission on Law and Aging tracks states that have “emeritus rules” which permit retired/inactive lawyers to continue doing pro bono work.

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Law School Pro Bono and Public Service

The ABA’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is pleased to release a white paper concerning New York’s 50-hour mandatory pro bono admission requirement and its potential application in other states. We’ll continue to monitor and revise this report as further developments occur across the country. Please direct any updates in your state to steve.grumm@americanbar.org.

11.15.13 – a look at Cooley Law School’s “Service to Soldiers Legal Assistance Referral Program”, which has grown notably in scale and scope: “Initially, the program worked…with soldiers from a Marine reserve unit in Michigan, but it quickly expanded as more…requests for assistance came from the Michigan National Guard.” The program has referred over 600 cases and has more than 200 attorneys on its volunteer roles. “Many Cooley Law students volunteer their time with the program. The program also is connected with JAG officers, although service members do not need to be referred by a JAG officer to receive assistance…. The Michigan National Guard estimated the program’s value so far at $2.8 million for the services performed…. In addition to the assistance the program provides service members, it has also published, in partnership with the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the Michigan Judges Guide to the Service Members Civil Relief Act, and will be publishing the Michigan Judges Guide to Military Family Law Matters.” (Story from the Grand Rapids Business Journal.)
11.11.13 – the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at Pitt Law School’s elder clinic, which has just benefited from a $1 million gift: “It’s no secret that Allegheny County has one of the oldest populations in the country. According to 2012 census figures, 16 percent of the county’s residents are over 65. The clinical education program at Pitt fits not only demographically, but also aligns with the school’s community service mission, the law school’s dean, William Carter, said. A recent $1 million anonymous gift will allow the clinic to not only help elderly residents, but also give law students entering a historically difficult job market needed expertise, he said. ‘Having those additional resources will allow us to expand our programming,’ Mr. Carter said…. Pitt’s clinic is able to handle only between 80 and 100 low-income elderly clients each year, since it has 16 to 20 students each year….”
11.11.13 – “[T]he District of Columbia’s six law schools have joined forces to push for the first major overhaul of rules governing student practice in D.C. in decades. Law school[s]…argue that existing rules are outdated and cumbersome. The proposed changes are aimed at streamlining how students are certified to work in clinical programs and expanding the type of work covered under the rules, from appearing in court…to advising nonprofits and small businesses on tax law and contracts…. Chief Judge Eric Washington of the D.C. Court of Appeals said the court, which oversees the local rules of practice, supports updating the rules but is open to feedback from the bar and the public. The court published the proposed changes in late October and is accepting comments through the end of December.” The potential pushback could come from attorneys whose fee-paying practices include client communities that could be served by clinicals. (Story from the National Law Journal.)
11.7.13 – in a Baltimore Sun op-ed, a University of Baltimore School of Law administrator (and former prosecutor) argues for instituting a pro bono requirement as a precondition to getting a Maryland law license, a la New York’s “50-hour Rule”.
- Here’s some pushback in an 11/12/13 letter to the editor, written by a Maryland attorney who argues that students should not bear an additional burden that is properly borne by the private bar.

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Awards and Applause

2013 Pro Bono Publico Award Recipients Announced

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Funding Opportunities

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

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