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Ohio
Supreme Court...
Week
of Events Highlights Pro Bono
Week
Oct. 25, 2011
Legal
aid societies, bar associations
and law schools across Ohio are hosting events this week where lawyers
volunteer their time to help those in need of legal services.
The
2011 National Pro Bono Celebration
began Sunday and will end Saturday.
Developed
by the American Bar
Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, the
week also
showcases the great difference that pro bono lawyers make to the
nation’s
system of justice, individual communities and their clients.
Supreme
Court of Ohio Chief Justice
Maureen O’Connor serves as honorary state chair. On Friday, she
addressed a
statewide biannual gathering of judges and attorneys involved in the
Ohio State
Bar Association’s Judicially Led Appellate District Pro Bono Project.
In
addition, Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown conducted a one-hour
continuing legal education training session on professionalism for pro
bono
attorneys on Monday.
More
than 40 events are planned across
the state and include free events where people who cannot afford a
lawyer may
obtain legal advice and referrals on the following topics: bankruptcy,
child
support and divorce.
Other
events promise free continuing
education courses to any lawyer who agrees to accept a pro bono case or
free
training sessions for pro bono lawyers handling pro bono cases in
specific
subject areas such as elder law, sealing a criminal record, and legal
considerations for the terminally ill.
In
partnership with the Ohio Legal
Assistance Foundation, the Court quantifies how much pro bono work
occurs in
Ohio through an annual anonymous and voluntary request. In early 2012,
the
Court will ask attorneys to participate again to gather data for 2011.
Data
for 2010 showed a 45 percent
increase in pro bono hours compared to 2009, and the most in the three
years
the statistics have been collected.
View
general information on the pro
bono celebration or a complete list of Ohio events, plus this article
by
clicking here.
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