Pro bono work: this is a phrase that most attorneys are quite familiar with. Many are asked to do pro bono work, either by Bar associations, by colleagues or supervisors, or even by prospective clients. I believe that the majority of our profession is aware that the Rules of Professional Responsibility even address pro bono service. (If not, see Rule 6.1 which states that a lawyer should render public interest legal service, such as no or low fee services to indigent persons, nonprofits, etc. or by financial support to organizations that provide such services!) Those individuals that participate in the pro bono program in Franklin County should also be aware that each year, the Franklin County Bar Association hosts the annual Pro Bono Luncheon to celebrate the pro bono work in our county.

 

Janice Hawbaker 2018 Pro Bono Award Winner

However, I have recently learned that many folks in our Bar aren't aware that there is a national Pro Bono week each year! This year, the National Celebration of Pro Bono will be October 20 through 26. This is an American Bar Association event which is adopted by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, which refers to the event as Pennsylvania Pro Bono Week. The celebration is an opportunity to shine a light on pro bono work being done by lawyers, paralegals, and law students both across our country and across our state. Pro Bono Week is historically the last week of every October. The FCBA Pro Bono Awards Luncheon will be held on October 25th. 

 

	Martha Walker 2017 Pro Bono Award Winner

The national celebration began in 2009 as a response to the increased need for pro bono services during harsh economic times and to recognize the tremendous response of attorneys to the rising need. The 2009 week was capped by a letter from President Barack Obama who stated, "Pro bono lawyers work tirelessly to break down barriers to opportunity and justice, volunteering countless hours to provide critical legal services to our most vulnerable citizens."

 

Clinton Barkdoll 2016 Pro Bono Award Winner

The Pennsylvania Bar Association even has goals for this time of recognition which include recruiting more pro bono volunteers and increasing legal services provided, mobilizing community support for pro bono, fostering collaborative relationships, and recognizing the pro bono efforts of Pennsylvania lawyers. The PBA Board of Governors has a resolution which is forwarded to the governor, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, and the General Assembly asking that they officially acknowledge Pennsylvania Pro Bono Week each year.

 

	Deborah Hoff 2015 Pro Bono Award Winner

Did you also know that, in 2018, a federal law was enacted leading up to Pro Bono Week which emphasizes the importance of pro bono work, especially for domestic violence victims? In September 2018, Congress enacted the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent Act, which is known as the POWER Act. The Act's purpose was to promote pro bono legal services as a critical way in which to empower survivors of domestic violence. The Act requires the chief judge in each federal judicial district to host at least one public event annually to promote free legal services for survivors of domestic, dating, sexual, and stalking violence. Congress specifically found that there is an extremely high rate of these types of violence across our nation, that nearly 25% of women suffer from such violence during their lifetime, and that, per the National Network to End Domestic Violence which conducted a census of almost 1,7000 assistance programs, over the course of a single day in September 2014, over 10,000 requests for legal representation were not met. Congress felt that the issue of domestic violence was rampant, the consequences severe, and the availability of legal service programs could not meet the demands without further assistance. Further, research and studies have shown that when victims receive legal assistance, the probability of such violence or behavior recurring is reduced and the survivor is better able to move forward.

 

Kristin Nicklas 2014 Pro Bono Award Winner

Kristen Hamilton 2013 Pro Bono Award Winner

The statistics around the need for skilled legal representation for victims of domestic, dating, sexual, and stalking violence are frankly astounding. While legal services are second only to medical services as the most-requested need of victims, according to a CDC study, only 36% of women who reported needing legal services received such services. In another study, it was found that 83% of victims represented by an attorney successfully obtained a protective order, whereas only 32% of victims without an attorney accomplished the same. The importance of the acquisition of the protective order is illustrated by a study showing that, in 86% of cases wherein the victim received a protective order, the abuse stopped or was greatly reduced.

 

While not all members of our Bar may feel competent to represent victims of domestic, dating, sexual, and stalking violence in a PFA case (or related divorce, custody, or support matter), your pro bono efforts in other arenas can help provide much needed services to the low-income individuals in our county and provide similar benefits to other needy segments of our community. Your support of the local legal aid organizations, both financial and otherwise, is also integral to the representation of these individuals. As we approach Pro Bono Week and prepare for our annual FCBA luncheon, I hope that you will consider finding ways to increase your pro bono contributions, that you acknowledge and commend your colleagues and peers' pro bono efforts, and that you work to embody to the pro bono spirit, not just for this celebration week but in your law practice as a whole.