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October 25, 2011
Successful Pro Bono Week Concludes with Recognition from the White House
Mark Schickman, chair of the National Pro Bono Celebration Week and member of the ABA Board of Governors
By any measure the first National Pro Bono Celebration Week, Oct. 25-31, was a success. From the number of events that took place around the country – nearly 600 at last count, to the enthusiastic participation of bar associations, law schools, law firms and other legal organizations to a letter commending the initiative from President Barack Obama, lawyers around the country marked the week doing what distinguishes the legal profession.
In his letter, President Obama noted. “Pro bono lawyers work tirelessly to breakdown barriers to opportunity and injustice, volunteering countless hours to provide critical legal services to our most vulnerable citizens.
Planning for the celebration began in early 2008 when Mark Schickman, chair of the National Pro Bono Celebration Week and former chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, began sharing his vision for a time to recognize the volunteer legal work that lawyers do for the benefit of their communities.
“The success of this year’s inaugural celebration has provided an outstanding platform as we plan for future celebrations,” said A. Michael Pratt, current chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. “This celebration helps to elevate the work of our committee and to advance the level of pro bono work performed by lawyers all over the country. We thank Mark Schickman for his vision and leadership.”
The legal profession in the United States is among the very few that calls on its members to make a difference in their communities through pro bono work, with the majority of this country’s lawyers reporting spending an average of 40 hours each year providing free legal work for people of limited means.
The week’s events included:
- Raising Community Concern Against Domestic Violence, Anchorage, Alaska
- Free Seminars on Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Adult and Child Guardianships,
- Throughout Arkansas
- Pro Bono Training for Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Denver
- Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, Miami
- Pro Bono and Special Programs Fair for Students, Indiana University Law
- School, Indianapolis
- Senior Legal Advice Clinic, Saginaw, Michigan
- Legal Aid Fair, Carson City, Nevada
- Pro Bono Training by the New York County Lawyers Association, Brooklyn,
- New York
- Foreclosure Essentials, Akron and Youngstown, Ohio
- Recent Jurisprudence in Notary Law and Practice, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Health Care Power of Attorney Clinic, Wakefield, Rhode Island
- Ask-a-Lawyer Phone Bank, Columbia, South Carolina
More information on pro bono at the American Bar Association is available at:
