Pro Bono Calendar
ABA Posts Haiti Earthquake Legal Resources
The ABA has assembled a collection of legal resources relevant to the Haiti earthquake at www.abanet.org/disaster/haiti.html for use by attorneys and programs assisting those in need.
Charles F. Wilson Receives Equal Access to Justice Award
Scranton lawyer Charles F. Wilson recently received the Samuel Fallk Equal Access to Justice Award from the Lackawanna Bar Association and Lackawanna Pro Bono. Named in honor of the late Samuel Fallk, described as a “one man legal aid society,” the award is given for outstanding pro bono work. Click here for more information
Federal Funding Authorized through Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act
On Dec. 16, 2009, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2010. The appropriations act includes the first allocation of funding in the amount of $10 million for the John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act. The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) will work with the U.S. Department of Justice through the beginning of 2010 to set up the structure and procedures to administer the program. After the program is up and running, NLADA will continue to work to increase funding so this opportunity will be available for every public defender in need. For more information on NLADA, go to the Web site at www.nlada.org.
2010 ABA Pro Bono Publico Awards Nominations Sought
The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is seeking nominations for this year’s ABA Pro Bono Publico Awards. Each year the Pro Bono Committee Service presents five awards to individual lawyers and institutions in the legal profession that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services. The awards will be presented on Aug. 9 at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Click here for more information on the awards, including a link to the nomination form. Nominations deadline: March 8, 2010.
Lackawanna Pro Bono 'Honor Roll' Salutes Lawyers
Lackawanna Pro Bono, Inc., (LPB) has issued an 'Honor Roll' listing the names of Lackawanna County lawyers who took one or more pro bono cases from LPB in 2009. Click here for the list.
2010 National Pro Bono Celebration Announced
Celebration set for Oct. 24-30; start planning now
The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is sponsoring the 2nd annual National Pro Bono Week celebration in 2010. In the next few weeks (from Jan. 14, 2010), the National Pro Bono Week celebration Web site – www.celebrateprobono.org – will be updated with new resources, materials, ideas and other tools that will help pro bono coordinators and organizations move forward with 2010 celebration planning. The revamped Web site will make available the following: additional planning tips; more samples of proclamations, press releases and op-eds; categorized access to last year’s celebration events; an upgraded celebration store; and much more. Click here for more on Pennsylvania's participation in the 2009 celebration and plans for 2010.
Wills for Heroes Plans, 2010
Wills for Heroes Pennsylvania is off to a great start in 2010 coming off an event Jan. 9 in Lancaster and with additional events planned on the following Pennsylvania dates:
Jan 30, Luzerne County Police and Fire, Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke
Jan 30, Pittsburgh Police, Pittsburgh Police State, Pittsburgh
Feb 20, Pennsylvania State Police, Trevose Barracks, Bensalem
Feb 27, Bristol Township Police, Bristol
Feb 27, Philadelphia Police and Fire, Philadelphia Community College, Philadelphia
Wills for Heroes has been able to expand its work through a training program designed by national Wills for Heroes board member and Pennsylvania program Director Dan McKenna, with the support of his firm, Ballard Spahr, to develop a cadre of locally based coordinators. According to McKenna, "As of Jan. 15 we have 10 coordinators in as many counties [and] the program continues to be busy and productive. And the need is certainly still there as evidenced by the five additional events we have planned for the first two months of this year." Click here for the current list of certified Wills for Heroes county coordinators.
McNees Wallace Celebrates Anniversary with Increased Commitment to Pro Bono
The Harrisburg-based law firm of McNees Wallace & Nurick L.L.C. is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2010, and the firm is giving back to the community by taking on additional charitable activities every month. January kicks off the firm's year-long enhanced commitment to pro bono service. Click here for more on the firm's pro bono efforts. “From Jim DeAngelo, the firm's pro bono coordinator, to others across the firm, McNees is a great model for private/public partnership in reaching out to help the neediest among us,” said PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis.
IOLTA Lists Platinum Leader Banks
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania requires attorneys to place Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) funds at banks that pay interest rates comparable to rates paid on other similarly situated accounts. More than 250 banks are eligible to hold IOLTA accounts, but some banks have agreed to pay premium yields on IOLTA accounts. This means more funding for legal aid. As of 2010, the banks paying premium yields on IOLTA accounts, dubbed Platinum Leader Banks, are paying the higher of 75 percent of the Federal Funds Target Rate or 1 percent. The Pennsylvania IOLTA Board thanks all eligible banks, especially the Platinum Leader Banks who are surpassing eligibility requirements. Click here for the current list of IOLTA Platinum Leader Banks, and click here for more on Pennsylvania IOLTA.
Attorneys General Issue Message of International Support for Pro Bono
Meeting in England, the attorneys general of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States have agreed in a joint message about pro bono work in their own countries and across the developing world. Pro bono publico – “for the public good” – is a long-established initiative of the legal profession to provide free legal advice and assistance to people who need the help of a lawyer but cannot afford to pay for it. Every year the legal profession in the UK devotes a week, known as National Pro Bono Week, to highlighting and promoting pro bono services. The five attorneys general acknowledged that their inaugural meeting as a group (“The Quintet”) fell within National Pro Bono Week in the UK and signed a joint statement acknowledging the value and importance of pro bono in furthering access to justice, and in developing the skills and enriching the experience of those lawyers undertaking it. HM Attorney General Baroness Scotland, QC, said: "Pro bono is part of every good lawyer's DNA, undertaken both professionally and passionately for the benefit of those who most need it. I am delighted that my fellow attorneys were able to join me in expressing our support for pro bono work." The message of support was delivered to the Joint National Pro Bono Conference in Manchester, England, by Solicitor General Vera Baird, QC MP, as an example of “Connection, Coordination and Collaboration.” The solicitor general commended these three principles to the delegates at the conference and invited them to explore them further in discussions about pro bono during the conference. This year the National Pro Bono Conference has, for the first time, taken place on successive days in different cities; London and Manchester, to highlight the importance of pro bono work all over the country and how it both assists and is assisted by connections within the legal profession.
Louis J. Goffman Awards Nominations Sought
The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is accepting nominations for the Louis J. Goffman Awards for Outstanding Pro Bono Service. The awards recognize and honor an individual and an organization for commitment to pro bono service. Click here for more information and the nomination form. Nominations deadline: April 15. Presentation of the awards will take place during the 2010 PBA Annual Meeting, May 12-14, at the Hershey Lodge.
Law School Public Service Resource Handbook Published
The Coalition for the Advancement of Public Service in Law Schools (CAPSILS) has published its first joint publication, the Law School Public Service Resource Handbook. It is a free resource for law school career services professionals and pro bono program administrators and is geared specifically to those who are new to public interest career counseling and pro bono administration. It offers useful tips from experienced professionals and points newer professionals to the many resources available to them through the ABA, AALS, Equal Justice Works, NALP, PSLawNet and elsewhere. CAPSILS is a national working group formed to foster dialogue among the organizations in the law school pro bono and public interest arenas, including the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the Center for Pro Bono; the American Association of Law Schools Section on Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities; Equal Justice Works; and the National Association for Law Placement and its PSLawNet Public Service Career Center. To download a copy of the handbook, go to http://www.pslawnet.org/capsilsresources. For further information on the publication or on CAPSILS, contact Melanie Kushnir, Assistant Staff Counsel, ABA Center for Pro Bono, at kushnim@staff.abanet.org or call (312) 988-5775.
Intelligent Design Case Reviewed in Philadelphia
U.S. Middle District Judge John Jones, the presiding judge in the Dover intelligent design case, joined PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis for a series of undergraduate class visits and an open, school-wide forum in Philadelphia on Nov. 20. Jones (shown below speaking to students) emphasized the rule of law and the importance of the independence of the judiciary in a day-long visit that was organized by Temple history professor Ralph Young. Trevaskis noted that the Dover case is a “wonderful example of pro bono representation, though the publicity of a big case reminds us of the real importance of the day-to-day work done by thousands of pro bono lawyers on matters that never make the news.”
IOLTA Board Announces 2010-11 Pro Bono Initiative Grants; Application Deadline: Jan. 15
In a noticed dated Dec. 11 to all county president judges, bar executives and bar presidents, the Pennsylvania IOLTA Board has announced the availability of $50,000 in grants for developing pro bono programs in counties currently lacking formalized pro bono efforts. Click here for the grant application form, which must be sent to IOLTA postmarked no later than Jan. 15, 2010. As noted in the application, the IOLTA Board expects to announce grant awards in late May 2010.
Fall 2009 ABA Dialogue Magazine Now Online
The fall 2009 issue of Dialogue, the magazine of the American Bar Association Division for Legal Services, is now available on the ABA Web site and features From the Chair... comments by A. Michael Pratt, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Philadelphia Bar Association immediate past chancellor and Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Inc. board member. The issue also includes articles and updates on lawyer referral and information service, delivery of legal services, IOLTA, legal assistance for military personnel and pro bono and the 2009 Harrison Tweed Award Winners, which include the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Pro Bono Net Now Offers ‘Fellows’ Resources on Web Site
Pro Bono Net now offers would-be associates who had their law firm start dates deferred and will be working as fellows and externs with legal services, public service and government organizations the opportunity to find support resources and connect with your peers. Find out more at http://www.probono.net/ under the heading Deferred Associate Fellows on the right side of the Web page.
LSC Releases Updated 'Report on the Justice Gap in America' Indicating That Legal Aid Programs Turn Away One Person for Every Client Served
In a report released Sept. 30, 2009, the Legal Services Corp. (LSC) finds that nearly a million poor people who seek help for civil legal problems will be turned away this year by the nation's largest nonprofit legal aid network due to insufficient resources. Click here for the news release, which contains a direct link to the report. Click here for a letter from 108 U.S. House members to House and Senate chairs urging an increase in LSC funding.
Temple Law Dean Epps Wins O'Connor Award, Delivers Public Interest Lecture
JoAnne Epps, dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law, received the Philadelphia Bar Association's Sandra Day O'Connor Award June 9. The annual award is presented to a female attorney who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments and furthered the advancement of women both professionally and in the community. At the award event, Epps also delivered the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture. Click here for the text of her speech, titled "Life is a Public Interest Journey."
Honesdale Attorney Receives Award for NPLS Service
Honesdale lawyer James Brown has received an award from North Penn Legal Services (NPLS) in recognition of his service on the NPLS Board of Directors for the past four years. Brown volunteered his time to assist NPLS in meeting its goal of providing equal access to justice for indigent individuals and families throughout 20 counties in northeast Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, lawyer Frances Gruber of Honesdale has been nominated by the Wayne County Bar Association to continue Wayne County's involvement with the NPLS by serving as a new member of the NPLS board. Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis noted that this is the "model for private bar and public legal aid partnership in keeping with the PBA's pro bono service commitment."
Pennsylvania Firm One of Three NLADA Award Winners
Philadelphia's Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin has been honored by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) as one of three law firms to receiving the group's 2009 Beacon of Justice Award. The award recognizes the firms' "extraordinary commitment to providing pro bono legal representation to low-income families facing foreclosure proceedings." Click here to read the NLADA news release.
AJA Five-Year Report Shows Benefits of Funding
IOLTA, PLAN and the PBA Pro Bono Office are pleased to announce the publication of the Access to Justice Act Five-Year Report. The study results show the benefit of Access to Justice Act funding in increasing civil legal aid across the commonwealth. Click on the following links to read this material: summary, full report, appendix.
IOLTA Fee Raised $25 for Pennsylvania Lawyers to Help in Legal Aid Efforts
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has announced a $25 increase in attorney registration fees for Pennsylvania lawyers to raise more funds for civil legal services for citizens who cannot afford them. Click here for the news release from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Click here for the PBA news release. And click here for the news release from the IOLTA Board.
PBA's Trevaskis Receives Center for Law and Society Gavel Award
PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis has received a Gavel Award from the Community College of Philadelphia's Center for Law and Society. Trevaskis received the award, one of 10 presented, at an awards luncheon celebrating the College's 10th Annual Law and Society Week, March 3. The award is presented in recognition of longstanding support for the event. The other honorees included George Anastasia, staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer; Paul Bechtel, Esq., retired partner, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin; William Colarulo, a chief inspector with the Philadelphia Police Department; Judge Holly Ford of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; retired Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson; Lynn Marks, executive director, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts; Kal Rudman, music and business pioneer and donor to the college's justice curriculum; William Whiteside Jr., retired partner, Fox Rothschild LLP; and Beverly Williams, a paralegal at Community Legal Services Inc. and a graduate of the college's paralegal studies program. Sister Mary Scullion, homeless advocate and co-founder, executive director and president of Project H.O.M.E., received the 2009 Judge Edward R. Becker Citizenship Award during the event.
"I was delighted to be honored among such local heroes for my work with CCP in supporting public education about the law, civil legal aid and pro bono efforts by CCP paralegal students and graduates," Trevaskis noted. "CCP is a strong partner of the PBA Pro Bono Office and other PBA projects such as the 2010 National High School Mock Trial Championship Tournament."
Trevaskis, right, is shown above receiving his award from Tom Doyle, CCP justice program coordinator.
2009 PLAN Excellence Award Winners Honored
The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) has announced the recipients of its 2009 Excellence Awards. Most of the awardees are PBA members and leaders in PBA efforts to promote civil legal aid. Click here for the list of award winners and information on PLAN's annual awards dinner, held March 31 in Harrisburg. The PBA salutes the 2009 PLAN Excellence Award winners. Check out the PLAN awards video tributes. Each video is three to four minutes long, and you can select which one(s) to view.
Innovative STAR Program for Former Prisoners
Magistrate Judges Tim Rice and Phil Restrepo of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania have worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office to develop the unique and innovative Supervision to Aid Re-Entry (STAR) program that is reducing recidivism rates. Click here to find out more, including contact information to volunteer to provide pro bono representation.
Civics Education Alliance Involves Lawyers, Judges in Harrisburg Schools
Midway through its 2009 spring efforts in the local Harrisburg schools, the Civics Education Alliance (CEA) has announced the participation of 164 volunteers from the legal profession. Find out more.
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