PRO BONO PROPOSALS FOR ACTION COMMITTEE AGENDAS

ACCESS - Use pro bono to allow additional client access in less traditional venues such as senior centers, homeless shelters, court; reach specific client groups using, for example, law school students and mentors+government attorneys, judicial staff.

Use of pro bono attorneys in hotlines, telephone callback advice systems, etc.

Add to client roster non-profit corporate neighborhood groups which need business law advice including incorporation, training, tax advice (how to fill out forms), 501 application using pro bono attorneys who prefer to work in business area

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COLLABORATION - use web articles to describe the kinds of collaboration between Programs and pro bono attorneys; encourage local programs to consider similar initiatives that would use local pro bono attorneys using similar template of collaborative work.

Consider the use of law firm rotation projects (also called "externships" and described in Alice's memo) wherein larger firm commits an associate (2-4 year) to local legal services program to handle individual cases for a period of months. Look at summer associate program at Morgan Lewis (D.C.) where each associate spends part of the summer with a public interest legal organization of his/her own choosing.

Expand the use of pro bono attorneys for co-counseling and mentoring.

Add to the Circuit Committees non-profit reps such as director of DV shelter, homeless shelter (i.e., more than one community rep) who work with many of our clients. Let them tell the story of our mutual clients to the pro bono attorneys and judges on the Committee directly, describing the kinds of legal needs they see. Perhaps they can tell the story better than the lawyers in some instances - in any event, it is "fresh faces" and expands our ability to tell the larger story of legal aid's role in delivery of services. They can "blow our horn" when we cannot.

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LEGISLATIVE/ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY - new model to maximize use of pro bono attorneys who are also lobbyists for other non-profits for 1) training staff and client groups and 2) doing actual advocacy: issues of or pieces of issues where there is mutual, converging interest; develop statewide list of pro bono attorney-lobbyists and their clients (e.g., Chris Nuland); begin developing the new model at state level first; use focus group of pro bono attorney-lobbyists to help develop effective approaches

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RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT - program to get corporate counsel, who often only have "minimum" Florida licensing, to buy out as a group (individual company law departments) with donation to 1) local program; 2) FLS for FBF.

Using the theme that money follows service, make particular effort to solicit money contributions from firms and firm foundations already providing attorneys to perform pro bono service; some firms say they prefer a certain "consistency" in their charitable giving.

In about half the Circuits there is no active Circuit Committee, and some pro bono programs are admittedly successful without one. On the other hand, in areas where resources are not so rich, having additional hands/minds to develop and support programs and spread the word can be accomplished by encouraging the re-establishment of the Circuit Committees; the pro bono director will be developing communications channels among the Circuit Committees to share program ideas; channels to include periodic statewide conference on pro bono that includes Circuit Committee members; on-line and hard copy newsletters.

Encourage local firm to handle all of one type of case (viz., fair housing); or single bar association to handle all intake at one location (viz., local FAWL chapter handling DV shelter); co-counseling with local firm on larger cases using a model similar to the companion system.

Replicate government attorney and judicial staff projects currently going on in some Circuits despite the "deferral" in the Rules. (Projects reported in Annual Report of Circuits.) Improve and innovate recognition programs for pro bono service by sharing among the programs many of the more creative ideas. (Projects reported in Annual Report of Circuits.)

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TECHNOLOGY - develop and use websites at both the local/Circuit level and through the FLS website at the state level as tools to attract, celebrate pro bono attorneys and pro bono programs; to recruit lawyers for specific programs needing specific skill sets; to advertise fund-raising events for pro bono and regular legal services programs; to make information easily available to media of the good works done by the pro bono lawyers in our State; to provide easy access to program ideas and resources for pro bono coordinators (online repository of ideas, programs, how-tos); additionally use the pro bono website for each Judicial Circuit as a means for the judiciary to learn what is going on in other Circuits; use of weekly email newsletter to the coordinators from the pro bono director to share and air problems, opportunities, get feedback. Ask law firms which have websites to make their webmaster expertise available to local programs and to local community-based organizations that are working with the programs.

Some but not all jurisdictions will have law firms, businesses, educational institutions and/or government agencies which have video-conferencing capability. A listing by Circuit of such possible locales should be made and law firms and law schools in particular urged to make such resources available as part of their pro bono contribution.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - encourage litigation law firms to provide training for new legal aid staff in such activities as taking depositions and conduct at hearings by allowing staff to "shadow" the practitioner - this would count toward pro bono hours; often larger firms do their own CLE courses for their staff and perhaps would make places available to local legal aid staff; many firms now have in-house webmasters who may be made available to local programs for assistance in setting up/maintaining the Circuit or other local website and for training program staff on getting the maximum benefits from technology in their work .

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VISION - one of the stated values of the legal services program must be that pro bono legal service and monetary contributions in lieu or in addition thereto constitute an integral and significant part of the legal services delivery system for the State of Florida; the same care and commitment to planning, development and measurement of success in terms of client service should be dedicated to pro bono legal service as is dedicated to other significant parts of the delivery system; pro bono allows us to expand our reach and accomplish more than could be done without these resources.