Help Celebrate National Pro Bono Week October 24-30
The American Bar Association has designated October 24-30, 2010 as National Pro Bono Week and, for the second consecutive year, the Alabama State Bar is coordinating the planning statewide. President Alyce M. Spruell appointed a Pro Bono Celebration Task Force chaired by bar commissioner Philip D. Mitchell of Decatur and includes the following members:
Cassandra W. Adams (Cumberland School of Law) |
Jeffrey Baker (Jones School of Law) |
Robert Newell Bailey, II, Huntsville |
Lisa Borden, Birmingham |
Shannon R. S. Clark, Enterprise |
Royal C. Dumas, Montgomery |
Glenda D. Bumpus Gamble, Tuscaloosa |
Marion D. Marsh, Enterprise |
Meegan Nelson, Mobile |
Richard J. R. Raleigh, Jr., Huntsville |
Jeanne Dowdle Rasco, Talladega |
Julia S. Roth, Decatur |
Alex M. Smith, Oneonta |
Hon. Brenda S. Stedham, Anniston |
Allen L. Tapley (Legal Services Alabama) |
Brian Strength, Tuskegee |
James M. Terrell, Birmingham |
Blakely Davis, Mobile Volunteer Lawyers Program |
Kelli J. Hogue-Mauro, Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers |
Angela S. Rawls, Madison County Volunteer Lawyers |
Timing is everything
The confluence of two circumstances makes this timing ideal: the increasing need for pro bono services as economic conditions have worsened, and the unprecedented response of attorneys to meet this need. Although national in breadth, this celebration provides an opportunity for the Alabama State Bar to celebrate the contributions of ASB members and to recruit additional volunteers to meet the growing demand through the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Together, local bars in each of the state's 41 judicial circuits are being asked to showcase projects that demonstrate the great difference that pro bono lawyers make everyday as they render service to our communities and to the clients whom they serve. Examples of some activities that can be conducted are:
- Deliver a speech about the importance of pro bono (to a community service organization such as Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.);
- Conduct a legal aid clinic in a law school;
- Get the mayor to issue a proclamation;
- Conduct a recruiting drive to enlist members for the ASB VLP or a local program;
- Schedule appearances on local TV or radio stations to detail how Alabama lawyers render pro bono service;
- Organize a conference or town hall-style meeting and invite the public to discuss legal needs in the community and ways the local bar can help;
- Set up a display table in the courthouse and distribute ASB public information pamphlets or information about legal aid; or
- Ask the judiciary to participate.
Use your imagination
Ideas for additional activities are only limited by your imagination. The National Celebration of Pro Bono will highlight the ongoing efforts by so many in the legal community who work tirelessly throughout the year to meet the legal needs of people who are poor. Most importantly, the celebration will draw even more attorneys into the pro bono community, increasing the profession's ability to meet one of our greatest responsibilities: providing access to justice for Americans living on the social margins.
We have much to celebrate, and much more to do. To find out how you can help, contact Linda Lund, director of the ASB Volunteer Lawyers Program.
