Spring-Summer 2015

Legal Delivery

The ABA’s Resolution for Client-LRS Privilege: Q & A with Guest of the Chair Stephen Steinberg, ABA Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral Services

With Stephen Steinberg

The ABA’s Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral Services is co-sponsoring a resolution to urge the protection of the hundreds of thousands of communications that occur every day, across jurisdictions nationwide, between prospective clients and LRS intake counselors.

Legal Delivery

Meet the ABA’s Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral Service

Each year the ABA President-elect asks the Chair of the Standing Committee and ABA staff for recommendations for new members. There are nine committee members plus the chair, with a third of the committee (or so) rotating off each year.

Legal Delivery

Ways to Better Reach the Spanish-Speaking Population in Your Area

By Carla Brown, Karen Ramsey, and Eric McClendan

In order for a Lawyer Referral Service to properly serve individuals who speak a language other than English, two things are crucial: awareness and accessibility. Below are contributions from the Atlanta, Houston and Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service programs on what their programs are doing to better reach the Spanish-speaking population in their areas.

Pro Bono

Pro Bono: From the Chair...

By Mary K. Ryan, Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service

For just a moment, as I wait for the interpreter to translate my question to our 17-year-old client from El Salvador, I reflect on how I ended up with this pro bono case. I’m a partner in a large Boston law firm primarily handling environmental litigation, not an immigration lawyer.

Pro Bono

And Justice for All: A New Way to Celebrate Pro Bono

This year marks the 7th annual National Celebration of Pro Bono, an initiative of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service through which lawyers from across the country honor their responsibility to the profession and their communities by volunteering their services to the underserved.

Pro Bono

Spotlight on Business Law Pro Bono: How Business Law Lawyers Contribute to Economic Justice

By Kimberly Lowe

Business law lawyers often feel challenged to provide pro bono legal services within their legal practice area. In an effort to increase the number of pro bono volunteers, many pro bono organizations and professionals claim (and in some instances proclaim) how much business law lawyers grow when they “step out of their comfort zone” and tackle litigation-based pro bono cases.

Military & Veterans

LAMP: From the Chair...

By MG (ret.) Clyde J. "Butch" Tate, Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel

Like many ABA standing committees, the LAMP Committee has historically held to an annual meeting schedule that involves three business meetings in the spring, summer, and fall. What makes the LAMP Committee unique, however, is our commitment to delivering a full-day, no-cost CLE for military attorneys in conjunction with our spring and fall meetings.

Military & Veterans

Book Review: Ripped Off! A Servicemember's Guide to Common Scams, Frauds, and Bad Deals

By Andrew Butler

If you currently lead or aspire to lead young Marines, soldiers or other military personnel, consider adding an excellent new book entitled Ripped Off! A Servicemember's Guide to Common Scams, Frauds, and Bad Deals by Michael S. Archer to your library and reading list.

IOLTA

IOLTA: From the Chair...

By Hon. James S. Hill, Commission on Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts

The past months have brought a whirlwind of activity and the promise of even better things to come. Most recently, in late July, the IOLTA community headed en masse to Chicago for the annual Summer IOLTA Workshops, co-produced by the ABA Commission on IOLTA and the National Association of IOLTA Programs (NAIP).

IOLTA

Grantee Spotlight: Bank Settlements Yielding Big Results for Arkansas Legal Aid Clients

By Amy Dunn Johnson and Lee Richardson

In the wake of the 2008 global recession, a number of large American mortgage service companies entered into settlement agreements to resolve claims regarding the servicing practices widely believed to have contributed to the crisis. These settlements offered opportunities for states to invest in programs that were situated to assist consumers who were affected by the crisis.

IOLTA

News and Notes

New IOLTA program directors in Connecticut and Nevada and recent IOLTA rule changes in Georgia and Illinois

IOLTA

Leadership Transitions in Legal Aid Programs: A Guide for Boards of Directors and Staff

By Patricia Pap

When long-term staff members leave a legal aid program, by retiring or for other reasons, how do we replace their skill, talent and commitment, whether they are our senior advocates, senior managers or executive directors? Transitions are pivotal moments in which programs can significantly build or lose capacity.