Pro Bono and Public Service

Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) Training

GPSolo has partnered with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to enable volunteer attorneys to assist unaccompanied children - ranging from as young as three years old to eighteen years old - who otherwise may be forced to represent themselves in immigration court proceedings. If you are willing to provide pro bono services for a vulnerable child to ensure that the child does not face removal proceedings alone or thinking about expanding your practice into the area of immigration, they have resources for you.

ABA Military Pro Bono Project

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military legal assistance attorneys anywhere in the world on behalf of junior-enlisted servicemembers with civil legal issues requiring services beyond what military attorneys can provide. The Project then places these cases with attorneys who offer to provide pro bono help where the legal assistance is needed in the United States. Register here to get involved.

Operation Stand-By

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project also includes Operation Stand-By, through which civilian attorneys may volunteer to offer attorney-to-attorney guidance to military attorneys in need of consultation on substantive or jurisdiction-specific information, so the military attorneys can better assist their servicemember clients. Find further information here and get involved.

Past Projects

A public service program is usually held during a Division Meeting. Some past projects are noted below.

Financial Literacy Training for Students
2016 Fall Meeting
GPSolo members provided financial literacy training for the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts students. Attorneys and judges presented a short program supplementing the www.debtslapped.org video on financial responsibility, management and pitfalls. Following the presentation, the members met in small discussion groups with the teens to talk about the program; to share their stories; and to inspire students to consider college and legal careers.

Dress for Success®
2014 Fall Meeting
GPSolo in conjunction with the Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter of San Antonio hosted a clothing drive to benefit Dress for Success® San Antonio, a non-profit organization that provides economic, social, and professional services and clothing to low-income women and men transitioning from the public assistance to the workforce - from suits to self-sufficiency.

Don’t Get Debt Slapped
2013 Fall Meeting
The Debt Slapped presentation was held at the Bryan Station High School located in Lexington, KY.

Financial Literacy Outreach Project
2013 Spring Meeting
GPSolo members provided financial literacy training to young adults at the Nine Star Education and Employment Services Center in Anchorage, AK. Financial responsibility, management and pitfalls were reviewed.

Financial Literacy Session
2012 Fall Meeting
This program was offered in partnership with the Seattle University School of Law to at-risk high school students within the Seattle School District's Middle College Program. Local bankruptcy lawyers and law students taught a 45-minute module and volunteers met immediately afterward in small discussion groups with students, both about the program and also to inspire students to consider college and legal careers. Our efforts were highlighted in the March 2013 issue of the ABA Journal.

Children’s Book Drive and Legal Clinic
2012 Spring Meeting
GPSolo and the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) organized a children’s book drive and hosted a legal clinic for the Trident Literacy Association in Charleston, SC. GPSolo and TIPS collected over 350 new and gently used children’s books, magazines, reader’s digests, and lower–level literature to add to Trident’s library. Additionally, GPSolo and TIPS volunteers held a panel presentation and met with adult students to discuss one-on-one issues involving family law, estate planning, probate & trust, immigration, employment, landlord-tenant, and other substantive issues.

To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, GPSolo held a video competition for high school students to connect the Magna Carta to the world today. The purpose of the contest was to increase public understanding of and respect for the rule of law, the legal process, and the role of the legal profession at home and throughout the world.

The winning team was Babushka Productions (Allison Gooch, Jacob Staudenmaier and Joshua Babu) of Phoenix, AZ. They were featured on abajournal.com.

Every October, the ABA holds National Pro Bono Celebration week. This celebration is the rallying point for legal professionals around the country and globe to encourage, grow, and celebrate efforts to ensure equal access to justice and provide service to our communities. In 2015, a new initiative called “And Justice for All: An ABA Day of Service” was established during this celebration. GPSolo celebrated the inaugural ABA Day of Service with a call to its members to document their contributions so we may highlight them. We know there are many more Division members who participated but were too busy donating their time to respond, so in addition to saluting the members of our honor roll, we salute all of you who recognize the special gift bestowed upon us—the keys to the courthouse—and use that gift wisely to help better our communities and provide equal access to justice.