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Rule 6.1 Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono publico legal services per year… In addition, a lawyer should voluntarily contribute financial support to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. The Rules of Professional Conduct of the North Carolina State Bar Adopted January 28, 2010
Pro Bono Service with Legal Services of Southern Piedmont and Legal Aid of NC LANC/LSSP Pro Bono Program has a 30 year history in the community • 550 total attorneys in LANC/LSSP Pro Bono Program (about 12% of MCB) • 220 attorneys took pro bono cases with LANC/LSSP in 2011 • 5000+ hours of pro bono work given to LSSP/LANC in 2011 from pro bono • attorneys and volunteers in office Approximately 400 pro bono cases closed and clients served in 2011 for • 5,000+ pro bono hours provided, the equivalent of more than $1.25 million • donated in pro bono hours to LANC/LSSP 20 pro bono partnerships with firms and corporate counsel •
Pro Bono Service with Council for Children’s Rights The Council for Children’s Rights has been representing the children of • Mecklenburg County since 1979. There are approximately 110 active Custody Advocacy Program cases at any given • time. There are over 250 active volunteer attorneys and custody advocates who • participate in the Custody Advocacy Program. Attorneys and custody advocates contributed over 3800 hours of time to the • Custody Advocacy Program in 2011.
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. Outstanding Firm Service Award Legal Aid of North Carolina “Robinson Bradshaw lawyers have long recognized a civil and professional responsibility to address the unmet legal needs of the indigent and disadvantaged population in the Mecklenburg County area and beyond. The members of the firm are actively committed to providing pro bono services to those individuals and to supporting organizations that assist this underserved population.” ‐ Robert E. Harrington, Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
Mitchell & Culp PLLC Outstanding Firm Service Award Legal Services of Southern Piedmont “Most people we see in our practice are in dire financial straits. The pro bono cases are particularly rewarding because we are helping people who would otherwise have no access to legal assistance. It gives me some perspective as a lawyer and reminds me that almost all of us are where we are because someone was willing to help us when times were tough.” – Chris Culp “I do pro bono work because of Will Esser! On August 24, 2010, he asked if I could handle an emergency matter that he’d declined due to a conflict, and I accepted the referral. The rest is history. I’m glad he thought of me, as I’d intended to get involved but hadn’t. I continue to accept LSSP referrals (and do other pro bono work) because, frankly, I feel it’s a professional responsibility and I get to help people I’d otherwise never meet.” ‐ Heather W. Culp
Hedrick Gardner Outstanding Firm Service Award Council For Children’s Rights “Hedrick Gardner has been helping children in high ‐ conflict custody cases by providing lawyers for them through the Custody Advocacy Program of the Council for Children’s Rights for 20 years. Currently there are eleven lawyers actively involved in this service, working several hundred hours per year for children. Senior partner Jack Gardner alone spent over a hundred hours on a tough, tough case. They are without exception smart, committed, diligent, responsible, compassionate and professional. Their service to children exemplifies not only a commitment and sacrifice of the attorneys doing the work but also a devotion of the law firm to “the public good”.” – John Parker
George V. Hanna III Lifetime Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award “Participating in and supporting pro bono efforts is not merely a benefit for the client; it is a rewarding and enriching endeavor as counsel. We as lawyers have the unique and privileged opportunity to increase access to counsel and legal assistance for those in need. In doing so, we help the justice system deliver outcomes that are fair and accessible to all.” – George V. Hanna III
Deborah L. Edney Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award Legal Services of Southern Piedmont ““I do pro bono work because it is incredibly fulfilling to use my skills to provide legal help for someone who might otherwise never get justice. Being able to do pro bono work and to introduce our young attorneys (and often our not ‐ so ‐ young attorneys) to the amazing feeling of using our skills to help those less fortunate than us is, for me, what being a lawyer is all about. And I’ve never gotten a hug from a corporate client, but I’ve gotten more than one from my pro bono clients. For Parker Poe, pro bono is not just a professional obligation but a part of our overall strategic plan of being part of – and giving back to – our communities, and I am proud to be a part of any strategy that makes me feel good – and gets me hugs!” – Debbie Edney
Jami J. Farris Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award Legal Services of Southern Piedmont “Pro bono has been an important part of my legal career since law school. I am fortunate to be part of a firm in which pro bono is part of the core values. Pro bono for many is what they feel compelled to do to meet a requirement, but for us, it is what we want to do, feel passionate about doing and are committed to. I believe that if you are passionate about helping others become more successful regardless of their status, then you have moved from being a just another lawyer to a true advocate.” – Jami Jackson Farris
Kate E. Payerle Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award Legal Aid of North Carolina “Though not a particularly noble reason, I began doing pro bono work to develop courtroom advocacy and case management skills as a young associate. But the habit ‘stuck’ when I discovered firsthand what Legal Aid has known all along: our remarkable system of justice is a disappointment – sometimes even an enemy ‐ to those with no meaningful access to it. I can only hope my work with Legal Aid gives at least a few people access to ‐ and renewed faith in ‐ that system.” – Kate Payerle
John P. Zimmer Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award Council for Children’s Rights “John is an intellectual property lawyer in the Charlotte office of Smith Moore Leatherwood. He came to Charlotte in the midst of the recession in 2009 and was deferred for a period by the law firm he was to work with. He contacted the Council for Children’s Rights and asked to be put to work until his firm was prepared to employ him. He’s been helping in one way or another ever since. John now serves as a volunteer attorney and guardian ad litem in the Custody Advocacy Program in addition to helping with research ‐ related projects. He gives his time and talent without stinting to the children he represents. He is uncommonly compassionate for parents acting badly during difficult times in their lives and under difficult circumstances. John’s a very analytical guy as evidenced by the Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry awarded him in 2006 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” ‐ John Parker
Lesley E. Garafola Outstanding Volunteer Service Award Council for Children’s Rights “Lesley is the Legal Manager of the Legal Fees Management Team in the Wells Fargo Law Department. She has been a CFCR custody advocate for 11 years, has been involved in many cases, has helped many children who find themselves frontline foot soldiers in divorce wars. Her personality is such that she is quickly able to put children at ease. The children she works with know she cares and is on their side. Her energy, reliability, compassion, and smarts make her a strong advocate for the best interest of the children she helps. Volunteers generally work on one case at a time. We occasionally are re ‐ appointed in cases. Lesley was involved in a case at a time when we were reappointed in another case in which she had been involved. When asked whether she could become re ‐ involved in the previous case while handling the existing case or whether another custody advocate should be appointed, Lesley didn’t hesitate to say that she wanted to be involved in Lex’s case as well as in Emmi’s and Kaci’s. She never says no.” – John Parker
Partnerships
Congratulations! Congratulations to 2012 NC Bar Association Award winners: Moore and Van Allen PLLC, Large Law Firm Pro Bono Service Award and Tommy Holderness, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A., William Thorp Pro Bono Service Award
Thank You Thank you to all of the CFCR, LANC, and LSSP Pro Bono attorneys and advocates for all of the valuable work that you do for our organizations.
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