On Monday, October 1, 2012, the Legal Services Corporation will be hosting a Forum on Civil Legal Aid at Duke University. This is an exciting event for the Carolinas, and the Southeast.
After the Forum, five North Carolina attorneys will be awarded for their Pro Bono service.
Click here to view the press release.
I’m very proud to don this logo on the SC Access to Justice blog. For the past three years, the American Bar Association has hosted this powerful, national event highlighting the importance of pro bono legal services around the United States.
In South Carolina, we’re proud to highlight some of the work in our own backyard. Throughout the remainder of Celebrate Pro Bono 2011, you’ll be able to learn how South Carolina law students and practicing attorneys interpret pro bono legal services and put it into action.
Many thanks to the American Bar, probono.net and the thousands of attorneys and law students who are celebrating pro bono this week!
~ RFW
The South Carolina Courts’ Self-Help Page now offers FAQs (General Questions, Circuit Court and Family Court) and an explanation about what court staff can and cannot in Spanish!
And many thanks to student volunteers with the USC School of Law’s Pro Bono Program and the kind folks at HABLA!
-RFW
I was very excited to hear from Pam Robinson about a project the USC School of Law Pro Bono Program was doing for Valentine’s Day. She asked several attorneys from around the state to complete the following:
The following is the response:
Fantastic idea and great result!
-RFW
DID YOU KNOW?
Here’s a good tip for practicing attorneys who want to contribute more pro bono hours, but think that expanding their pro bono work will cause them lots of time in research.
That’s right – the University of South Carolina School of Law Pro Bono Program will provide you with a law student to serve as your legal research assistant. If you need assistance or would like more information, contact Pamela Robinson at 803-777-3405 or Robinson@law.law.sc.edu.
-RFW
Alex Paterra isn’t a native South Carolinian, but that hasn’t stopped him from jumping right in to assist South Carolinians in need.
Alex graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law and started practicing law in 2005. He is a solo practitioner and recently grabbed an opportunity to help people in need while keeping his lights on via the Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) program with SCLS.
Originally Alex envisioned his legal career beginning at the public defender’s office, however, his path led him into private practice with two law firms, but with the downturn in the economy, he chose to start his own firm. His work at SCLS began by volunteering to take their employment cases. He had 5 years of Labor and Employment experience and knew he could help out. Once he had started volunteering, he noted that there was an opportunity for him to assist even more people working as a PAI attorney.
Since November 2009, he has taken on roughly 7 employment cases.
Has this work changed his vision of legal services?
Not really. I had previously volunteered at other legal service entities and consider pro bono a necessity for so many people who can’t even make ends meet.
What should practitioners know about your experience?
Major law firms should donate first year associates to their local legal services’ entity. It is of GREAT benefit to the firm. The associate gets a MUCH quicker immersion into law and learns some great basic skills such as:
The associates would gain practical, courtroom experience in a more relaxed environment. The associates should be volunteers for a minimum of 6 months to 1 year. Any help is good, but one year of service translates into a great volunteer – for life.
-RFW
Today is the final day to make a nomination for the SC Bar’s Pro Bono Award. And, if you’re one of my Twitter followers or Tweeps, then you’ve seen this touted for a while, with especial fervor this week.
And you may wonder, why the big deal? Good question.
Here’s why I think it’s a big deal:
So, if you know an attorney, law firm or program that has provided good pro bono service within the past year, please complete and return the Nomination form. You may just make yourself and someone else feel better. And that’s a good thing, don’t ya think?
-RFW
If you attended USC School of Law anytime after 1989, chances are you met Pamela D. Robinson, the director of the Pro Bono program there. And it’s more likely than not that you participated in one of the programs she coordinates.
Think not? Think again! How about the Harvest Hope food drives?
Take a look to see how far they’ve come (just last spring).
And I received information today that:
Over the last 15 years the USC School of Law “Best Class Food Drives” have resulted in the donation of 243,600 pounds of food to help Harvest Hope Food Bank meet the needs of their clients.
From the October 27, 2009 Press Release:
In the five years since the Charleston School of Law started, students have donated more than 100,000 hours of free legal service to people across South Carolina. The public service milestone is the equivalent of 50 people working full-time for a year.
-RFW
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