Building a stronger culture of pro bono across the state of Louisiana sets the stage for 2022 as a year of collaboration, community, and access to justice.  The Pro Bono Project is thrilled to join the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Access to Justice Commission, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana in the “20 for 2022” campaign.  Our goal is to enlist lawyers to devote 20 pro bono hours a year.  With the support of the local bar and judiciary, we are recruiting both young and seasoned practitioners to support access to justice for those Louisianans needing basic legal help.

The pandemic and natural disasters of the past two years have intensified the struggles and challenges faced by under-served members of our community. Seniors, families, and children continue to face unemployment, housing insecurity, debt, and family instability. The Pro Bono Project and legal organizations throughout the state help the public access lawyers to help resolve civil legal issues.  In Southeast Louisiana, The Pro Bono Project facilitates the match between disadvantaged citizens in need of civil legal services with volunteer attorneys. 

The Pro Bono Project provides a diverse spectrum of civil legal services. We represent clients in bankruptcy, consumer debt, estate planning, successions, divorce, immigration, provisional custody by mandate, child in need of care, contractor fraud, and other matters.  Some volunteers may only have a few hours to give at a time and we can assign them to a divorce workshop, consumer debt clinic, or a shift at the Self-Help Resource Center.   Other volunteers may want to take on a case, do the research and brief drafting, and go into court, and we can match them accordingly.  The Pro Bono Project’s team of attorneys and paralegals serves as subject matter experts and mentors.

These are but a few of the roles The Project plays in bringing the culture of pro bono to life for lawyers, law students, other legal professionals, and the community at large. While service to clients is our primary mission, it is also our job to educate, nurture, and be a resource for those in the legal profession who want to serve the public interest in this way. Engaging in pro bono work gives members of the private bar practical experience. 

• From building and diversifying skills through on-the-ground experience to working with other like-minded professionals, pro bono work makes lawyers better for all their clients.  
• Volunteers become aware of the myriad of legal issues in their community giving them a broader perspective that they can integrate into their daily lives.  
• By trying their hand at more diverse cases, pro bono attorneys cultivate a robust skill set that they would not otherwise have developed.  
• Volunteers create lasting relationships with lawyers and the judiciary outside their current network. 
• Doing pro bono work provides self-fulfillment.  Providing legal services to the underserved members of our community, who might otherwise go without needed legal representation, is a deeply satisfying experience on both a professional and personal level.

One volunteer with The Pro Bono Project recently remarked, “Doing pro bono work has afforded me the opportunity to develop and utilize my skill sets outside my everyday practice areas. The experience I gain from these cases makes me a more confident and capable attorney, while helping to ensure equal access for all to our judicial system.”

After celebrating carnival season with family and friends, we are reminded of what makes our community both strong and unique – our creativity, civic pride, and resilience. These attributes make New Orleans like no other city, and they contribute to what has made The Pro Bono Project so successful over the past thirty-six years.  Your commitment of 20 hours can provide so much to those in need.  Your volunteerism can ensure this resiliency and provide access to justice for all in our community.

About the Authors:

Jedd S. Malish The Pro Bono Project Chair King & Jurgens	C.C. Kahr The Pro Bono Project Executive Director

Written on Behalf of the Business Litigation Committee