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Resources:
Pro Bono Celebration
Proclamations
ProBono-Speech-Material
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Date
Local Television/Newspaper/Radio
Address
Dear:
The first annual National Pro Bono Celebration sponsored by the Alabama State Bar will be held October 25-31, 2009. This celebration is a coordinated national effort to showcase the great difference that pro bono lawyers make to the nation, its system of justice, its communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve. The week is also dedicated to the quest to recruit more pro bono volunteers to meet the ever-growing legal needs of this country’s most vulnerable citizens.
For the past year, the President of the American Bar Association has been H. Thomas Wells, of Birmingham, Alabama. President Wells has been a vocal advocate for pro bono and in a recent article discussed some statistics from a just released study on pro bono. This study shows, first, that nearly three-fourths of lawyers voluntarily provide free legal services to a deserving cause or person, services known as pro bono. Second, lawyers devote more hours to pro bono legal services now than in the past. Third, lawyers are doing pro bono work at nearly three times the rate that the general population does volunteer work. These figures demonstrate the concern that lawyers have for people and organizations in their communities. However, as President Wells notes, while lawyers donate more than 25.7 million hours of service annually, the disadvantaged still do not have access to the legal help they need 80 percent of the time.
The Alabama State Bar Association recognizing the importance of pro bono work by our Bar, has signed on to be a part of this important national celebration. Governor Bob Riley has signed a proclamation declaring the week “Pro Bono Week” in the State of Alabama. Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb, local judges and government officials have added their support to this week of celebration. The task force has plans to have pro bono celebration events, including free legal clinics, in every judicial circuit of the state.
We hope that your (radio/TV station/newspaper) will support these efforts by assigning a reporter to report on the pro bono work being done in the community. As an alternative, if you would be willing to mention as a calendar announcement about the upcoming events and free clinics in the weeks before the Celebration, we would be most appreciative. Please contact ____________________, (local contact for Pro Bono Week). We will be forwarding news releases and other information to you as events are scheduled. Thank you for your anticipated assistance.
Sincerely,
