ProJusticeMN.org Newsletter: October 2014

Carry Pro Bono Week Forward

As the 2014 Pro Bono Week Celebration draws to a close, commit to carry the spirit of pro bono week forward.  The many CLEs, legal clinics, and other events featured during Pro Bono Week highlight the variety of forms that pro bono can take. 
 
With technological innovations, you don't even need to leave your office to have a meaningful impact in the life of a pro bono client.  Minnesota Legal Advice Online is a new system that allows low-income clients  to submit legal questions online.  Volunteer attorneys then choose which questions to answer and provide brief online legal advice at a time and place convenient to them.  You can sign up here.
 
Attorneys can also help give clients a second chance either by volunteering at a criminal expungement seminar organized by the Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) and Council on Crime and Justice, or by volunteering to assist low-income clients filing for bankruptcy. Other pro bono opportunities abound with legal clinics throughout Minnesota, organizations looking for volunteers of all types, and clients in need of full representation. 
 
Nervous about tackling an area of law from a poverty law perspective?  Prepare for that first client meeting by visiting VLN's Working with Pro Bono Clients Wiki, which helps attorneys understand many of the challenges faced by people in poverty.  Want to make sure you've covered all the relevant issues in a client interview or settlement on the courthouse steps?  Use your smartphone or tablet to use ProJusticeMN.org's new tool, Pro Bono to Go, where you'll have the expertise of a legal aid attorney at your fingertips via a library of mobile-friendly interview guides and settlement checklists.
 
No matter what form your pro bono service takes, remember that with the great power that comes with being an attorney, comes the great responsibility of giving back to your community.