National Pro Bono Week
Be a part of the solution
Recognizing the need to help the state's poor and disadvantaged by providing more free legal services, the Alabama State Bar is once again participating in the National Pro Bono Week observance, October 24-30.
Decatur attorney Phil D. Mitchell, who chairs the bar's Pro Bono Celebration Task Force said, "The legal needs of low-income families are local issues, and although the celebration is nationwide, these activities are intended to have local focus and impact. In Alabama, our goals include increasing the number of free legal clinics held throughout the state, recognizing the pro bono efforts of Alabama's lawyers, recruiting more pro bono volunteers and mobilizing community support for pro bono."
In Alabama, there is a great disparity between the number of lawyers who are available to represent the general population and the number of lawyers available to represent the poor, creating a "justice gap" of more than 500,000 citizens who have an unresolved legal problem. These numbers reflect only those who have sought legal services because many simply try to represent themselves.
"Lawyers are doing their part to narrow the justice gap by providing pro bono service to help people save their homes from foreclosure, protect their child custody rights and seek refuge from abusers," Mitchell said.
Bars in each of the state's 42 judicial circuits will be conducting free legal clinics offering advice and counsel in elder and family law, estate planning and bankruptcy. Speeches to local civic and good government groups will focus on how the state bar and Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb's Access to Justice Commission are working to shore up funding for civil legal services by obtaining increased legislative appropriations.
ASB President Alyce Spruell said, "The volunteer service of our bar members makes a difference in the lives of Alabama citizens each day. These efforts are the embodiment of our bar's motto, 'Lawyers Render Service.' However, pro bono service alone will not close the access to justice gap. Events like National Pro Bono week help highlight the tremendous need of our Alabama citizens for these kinds of legal services while also recognizing the ongoing contribution of time and talent provided by our membership."
For a listing of all statewide events, go to http://www.alabar.org/ProBonoWeek/event_list.cfm.
