Pro Bono Calendar

PBF and IOLTA Board to Launch Statewide LRAP
The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the PBA's charitable affiliate, and the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) Board have partnered to launch the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), a statewide loan repayment assistance program to help lawyers employed at IOLTA-funded legal services organizations better manage their law school loan debt. Click here for the PBA news release on the program. For background information on the PBA effort promoting the program, led by the Loan Forgiveness Implementation Committee (sunsetted in June 2008), click here. Click here for the AOPC news release on the program. For the text of a letter celebrating the start of the program by Lou Rulli, director of clinical programs at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and a tri-chair of the original PBA Student Loan Repayment Assistance Task Force, click here.

Lycoming Law Association Joins in Mortgage Foreclosure Counseling Effort
Read the July 18, 2010, post on the website of The Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

PBI CLE on Practice Before the Department of Veterans Affairs, Aug. 12, 2010
PBI with the PBA Military and Veterans Affairs Committee are hosting a CLE program on practice before the Department of Veterans Affairs. It will be held in Mechanicsburg on Aug. 12, with a live webcast and a satellite simulcast to locations around the state. Click here for more information.

Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association Celebrates Law Students Working in Public Service
Click here for information on the Public Interest Reception to be held July 22 at One Liberty Place, Philadelphia.

Fox Rothschild Race Judicata 5-K, July 21, 2010
The Bucks County Bar Association (BCBA) will be holding the Fox Rothschild Race Judicata 5-K on July 21, 2010, to benefit the Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Click here for more information on this initiative of the BCBA's Charitable Foundation.

Philadelphia Chancellor's Forum on Civil Gideon, July 7
Professor Russell Engler, director of clinical programs at New England Law School and a national expert on Civil Gideon, is the featured speaker at the Chancellor's Forum on Civil Gideon to be held at the Philadelphia Bar Association Conference Center on July 7. Find out more about the event.

Local Pro Bono Awards News on PAProbono.net
· The Allegheny County Bar Foundation and the Public Service Committee of the Alleghany County Bar Association are accepting nominations for Pro Bono Achievement awards. Click here for more information. Deadline for nominations: July 23, 2010, 5 p.m.
· The Erie County Bar Association and Northwestern Legal Services have honored Rick Filippi as the 2010 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for perseverance and dedication on behalf of low-income clients in Erie. Click here for more information.

The York County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center Receive 2010 Louis J. Goffman Award
Find out more.

Pennsylvania Veterans and the Criminal Justice System, Adjustment, Reentry and Associated Problems, a report by Bradley Schaffer, coordinator, Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) at the Butler VA Medical Center, May 2010.

Mundorff Issues Pro Bono Challenge to PBA House Members
At the May 14 House of Delegates meeting in Hershey, incoming PBA President Gretchen Mundorff asked all House members to complete a Pro Bono Pledge Form and return it to David Trevaskis at the PBA. Click here for the form that House members will use for reporting their pro bono activity.  Click here for Mundorff’s letter to House members. Mundorff’s challenge to the House mirrors that made back in 2007 to the Board of Governors, a challenge that has been met by 100 percent compliance by the board every year since. Click here for a July 2009 memo to the board on this subject.

Westmoreland County Lawyers Rise to a Pro Bono Challenge
Read about it in the April 2010 issue of “the sidebar,” a publication of the Westmoreland Bar Association.

Philadelphia Community Legal Services’ Breakfast of Champions, May 27, 2010
Read the press release on this event, including the participation of Laurence Tribe, senior counselor for access to justice for the U.S. Department of Justice.

PBA Honors Allegheny County Lawyers and Judges at 2010 Pro Bono Celebration of Volunteers
The PBA recognized eight Allegheny County lawyers and judges with its Pro Bono Awards during the 2010 Pro Bono Celebration of Volunteers, sponsored by the Public Service Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. Read the news release on the May 19 event in Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia VIP Summer Pro Bono Program for Law Students, June 11
Philadelphia VIP will be holding its Summer Pro Bono Program for Law Students on June 11, 2010, at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute Training Center. The annual Summer Pro Bono Program is geared specifically to law students at the inception of their careers, to instill an ethic of service and to educate law students about issues of poverty in Philadelphia. Click here for more information. Registration deadline: June 2.

18th Annual Allegheny County Bar Association Golf Tournament, July 26
The 18th Annual Allegheny County Bar Association Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, July 26, 2010, at The Club at Nevillewood. Proceeds benefit the Allegheny County Bar Foundation and Neighborhood Legal Services Association, which support and provide pro bono legal services to low-income individuals and families in Allegheny County. Click here for more information.

PBI Webinar: Pa. Courthouse Doors Have Been Opened Wider To Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individuals, June 10, noon to 1:30 p.m., on the new AOPC rules implementing the Interpreter Certification Law (Act 172 of 2006). Click here for an online article on the new rules.

PLAN's Milkes Writes on Legal Services in PBA Magazine
Sam Milkes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network and a past contributor to the PBA’s Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine, appears as an author and co-author of articles in the May/June 2010 issue. The articles, linked here in PDF, are titled "The Changing Profile of Civil Legal Aid" and "Right to Counsel in Civil Cases, Too?," with the latter co-authored by Andrew F. Susko, a former PBA president, and Rhodia D. Thomas, executive director of MidPenn Legal Services.

Veterans Law Clinic Branch Program at Widener Harrisburg Campus to Close June 30
The Veterans Law Clinic branch program on the Harrisburg campus of the Widener University School of Law will be terminated due to lack of funds on June 30, 2010, according to professor Thomas J. Reed of the school, director of the clinic. Click here for more information.

Susko Among Those Honored at 2010 Friends of Farmworkers Reception June 17 in Philadelphia
Andrew F. Susko, a past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association will be honored at the 2010 Friends of Farmworkers Annual Reception on June 17 at the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. Others to be honored include Joseph A. Sullivan, co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee, and Daniel Sipe, immediate past president of the Friends of Farmworkers board. Click on the following links for the save the date announcement, invitation letter and response form.

Montgomery Child Advocacy Project Run for the Hill of It
5-mile run and 1-mile fun walk, July 31, 2010; click here for information.

Penn State Dickinson Public Interest Law Week, April 2010
Click here for the event flyer.

Philadelphia-Area Corporate Lawyers Help Local Homeless Receive Birth Certificates
Attorneys and staff from nine Philadelphia-area corporations and the law firm of Cozen O’Connor partnered with the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), an organization dedicated to meeting the legal and advocacy needs of Philadelphia’s homeless community, to provide a birth certificate clinic on March 26, 2010. Find out more.

Penn State Law Students Do Pro Bono During 2010 Spring Break
Two Penn State Law students spent their spring break as public service volunteers in the Public Interest Law Fund’s Alternative Spring Break program. Click here for more.

Pittsburgh NLSA’s Older & Wiser Program Wins $50,000 Award
The Pittsburgh Neighborhood Legal Services Association’s Older & Wiser program is the winner of the 2010 Emil Gumpert Award of $50,000 funded by a grant from the Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Find out more about the award.

ACBA Volunteer Appreciation Event in Pittsburgh May 19
The Allegheny County Bar Association Public Service Committee will thank and recognize volunteers who provided pro bono services to low-income clients in the past year through ACBA Pro Bono Center member organizations and projects. The law firm of Reed Smith is graciously providing the venue for this event, which is free to volunteers. Event information: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 5-7 p.m., Reed Smith Centre, 3 PNC Plaza, 225 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh. Join us on the outdoor terrace of the new Reed Smith Centre. The event will feature great food, spectacular city views, live music, door prizes, and more. The Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Office will present the 2010 PBA Pro Bono Awards to Pittsburgh-area winners.

ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference, May 2010 in Phoenix, Ariz.
May 11-12: Equal Justice Conference Pre-Conference Events
May 13-15: ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference

The ABA Delivery Committee on Access to Justice's 2009 Annual Report
The ABA Delivery Committee on Access to Justice's 2009 Annual Report, titled Agenda for Access, is a compilation of articles, reports, trainings and projects from the last calendar year. It summarizes the work of the committee while including efforts from others who are working to increase access to justice for those of moderate income. Click here for the report.

Youth Courts: Spring 2009 Article and Developments in Chester, Pa.
Among those attending the PBA’s 2007 Outreach to Children Summit was a group of law and justice professionals and educators from the City of Chester, who took up the challenge that Pennsylvania should have a broad network of teen courts, a juvenile justice intervention that allows youth who have violated the norms of society, whether in school or beyond, to be adjudicated before a peer jury. Click here (going to the new page described above) for more on the youth court concept and activities in Chester. For more information on youth courts, click here for an article from the spring 2009 issue of the Juvenile and Family Court Journal.

PAProbono.net is the Online Resource for All Things Pro Bono
Looking for an opportunity to support the public good? Searching for resources to help serve a pro bono client? Check out the PAProbono.net Web site, an online resource supported by the PBA, local bar associations, pro bono referral programs, legal aid programs and private law firms. The site features a Pro Bono Opportunities Guide that allows lawyers to select their volunteer preferences, the Pennsylvania Civil Law Practice Area, an events calendar and other information to educate and inspire lawyers interested in increasing access to justice.

PLAN Presents 2010 Excellence Awards
Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille will be the main speaker as the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) presents the 2010 Excellence Awards on March 23 at the Harrisburg Hilton & Towers. Find out more.

Wills for Heroes Event at Widener Law’s Harrisburg Campus April 17
The Widener University School of Law’s Harrisburg campus will host a Wills for Heroes event on Saturday, April 17. Click here for information on the event. More information and an online registration form can be found at www.willsforheroes.org and/or www.pabar.org/public/yld. Or contact Hillary Prutzman, the student coordinator, at hprutzman@gmail.com, or Lisa Shearman, the regional coordinator, at las@plotnickellis.com.

Philadelphia Criminal Court for Military Veterans, 2010
A new courtroom has been established in Philadelphia to assist the special needs of a veterans in the criminal justice system. Click here for information posted on the KYW Newsradio Web site.

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.

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.

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.

New York Times Article: ‘Top New York Judge Urges Greater Legal Rights for the Poor,’ May 3, 2010
Jonathan Lippman, New York’s chief judge, has called for a new guarantee of legal representation for the poor in civil cases. Read the article.

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.

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