Pro Bono Promise
In recognition of the critical need for pro bono legal services in our community and our professional responsibility to deliver these services, the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation (GRBF) is initiating a pro bono “call to action” to all law firms, legal departments & solo practitioners in the central Virginia area. The Foundation asks participants to make the Pro Bono Promise by agreeing to commit a “percentage of professional time”* each year to providing pro bono legal service and related volunteer activities and/or through a proportionate amount of financial support of such efforts by others.
By making the PRO BONO PROMISE, each participant agrees to encourage and facilitate the provision of pro bono legal services, to encourage and facilitate participation in volunteer activities designed to increase pro bono services, and to encourage financial support of the legal aid service providers who assist the disadvantaged in our community.
TO JOIN or to FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION, please contact Ali Fannon.
THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS:
- A law firm or law department joins by the Managing Partner(s) signing a participation agreement to strive to reach the Pro Bono Promise goal within one year, and as part of the agreement, each promises to encourage all attorneys in the local office of that firm/legal department to participate.
- The Pro Bono Promise goal is 1% of professional time* of the participant firm/department
- The Pro Bono Promise goal may be completed by less than 100% of the attorneys.
- GRBF can assist participant firms with suggested best practices & resources to help succeed.
- We request that each participant designate a pro bono coordinator/contact
- We can review pro bono menu and list of critical needs to assist with selection of method of participation (firm-wide project versus individual attorney selections)
- We will help connect to resources necessary for pro bono service delivery
- A participant can opt to fulfill the Promise goal in part through donations to support the delivery of pro bono legal services (including donations to CVLAS, LAJC & our Access to Justice Fund)
- At the end of the reporting period, GRBF will publicize the total hours of pro bono service provided and dollars raised by the participants.
*”Percentage of professional time” for the Pro Bono Promise is based on the total billable hours of that firm/workplace (local office only), and speaks to the amount of hours the workplace should spend on qualifying pro bono service
