Pro Bono Week for 2017 will be observed October 22nd to the 28th. The Arkansas Access to Justice Commission is working with firms and organizations across Arkansas to honor the many attorneys doing pro bono and to encourage even more attorneys to give back to their communities.
Check out the entries below to find out what all we have planned for Pro Bono Week and how you can get involved!
Sponsors of Pro Bono Week
To become a sponsor of Pro Bono Week in Arkansas, just sign your firm up for “Just” Jeans using the form below. All donations support legal aid.
Events & News
“Just” Jeans
Join us in supporting legal aid on the Friday of Pro Bono Week (October 27th) by sporting your jeans at the office. This event is a casual Friday fundraiser to support the work of Arkansas’s legal aid providers, Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. This event is a give what you can fundraiser with a minimum suggested contribution of $5 per person.
You can participate by donating here or mailing a check payable to “Just Jeans” to: Arkansas Access to Justice 1111 W. 6th Street, Suite D Little Rock, Arkansas 72201.
If you’d like to receive a packet with individual donation forms, complete the form on the right and we’ll send you a “Just” Jeans packet. The packet will have all the information you need and will include the sticker pictured above so participants can show that they support legal aid. Firms which participate in “Just” Jeans are sponsors of Pro Bono Week in Arkansas and will have their logo featured on our Pro Bono Week page and promotional materials.
For more details, contact Jordan Rogers.
Photos of Pro Bono Week 2017
AR Supreme Ct. Declares Pro Bono Week
Free CLE: How to Effectively Represent DV Survivors
Lynn Pence
What: This CLE will teach attendees the best strategies for effectively representing survivors of domestic violence. The instructors will cover the cycle of abuse and the power and control wheel, but will also provide practical tips for attorneys to help them provide better, more compassionate representation.
When: Tuesday, October 24th @ noon
Where: Join via Webinar or join us in person at 1111 West 6th Street, Suite D Little Rock, Arkansas.
Who:
Lynn Pence–Attorney, Center for Arkansas Legal Services
Beth Goodrich–Director, Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence
How: Register for this CLE by completing this form.
AR Free Legal Answers–Online Advice Clinic
What: This event is a legal advice clinic that you don’t have to leave your office or even your couch to participate in! Volunteers will log in to AR Free Legal Answers to answer questions which have been posted by indigent litigants. The site is hosted by the American Bar Association and managed by Access to Justice and the Arkansas Bar Association. Volunteer attorneys only agree to provide answers to client questions, there is no obligation to represent the client outside of providing an answer. Plus, you get to preview questions before deciding whether you want to answer them and the ABA provides malpractice insurance for volunteer work done on the site.
Don’t have an account? Setting one up just takes a few minutes! Click here to get started!
When: Wednesday, October 25th
Where: Online at ar.freelegalanswers.org.
Who: This event is sponsored by Access to Justice and the Arkansas Bar Association. Questions can be sent to Jordan Rogers.
How: To volunteer at this event, simply register as a volunteer here. Once your account is set up, you can log in and participate in the clinic!
Shorter College Expungement Clinic
What: At this event volunteer lawyers will assist clients in preparing petitions to seal their criminal records. Sealing a criminal record improves the odds of a person finding housing and employment. This, in turn, reduces recidivism and improves our communities. Volunteers do not need to have experience with expungement, as a free one hour CLE training will be provided.
When: Friday, October 27th
Where: Shorter College, 604 Locust Street North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Who: This event is sponsored by the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Shorter College.
How: To volunteer at this event, contact Lora Crawley at 501.376.3423 or lcrawley@arkansaslegalservices.org. Potential clients should call 501.376.3423 to request an appointment.
Keeping it in the Family Wills Clinic
What: The Keeping it in the Family program is designed to help disadvantaged families utilize their land for forestry by addressing heir property issues which keep land from being economically utilized. Lawyers help participants obtain clear title to property that had title fragmented and become heir property and help families prevent land from becoming economically unavailable. This event will help families plan for the future through will preparation. A free one hour CLE will provide a refresher on estate planning for volunteers.
When: Monday, October 30th from 4 to 7 pm.
Where: Sandy Grove Baptist Church, Camden, Arkansas.
Who: This event is sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the William H. Bowen School of Law.
How: To volunteer at this event, contact Amy Pritchard at 501.324.9966 or ampritchard@ualr.edu.
Lawyer in the Library
What: Interested in low-bono? Through the Lawyer in the Library program, pro bono attorneys and law students will help low-income community members with various legal issues at the Law Library at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Attorneys can work on a sliding fee scale if the attorney and patron agree to enter into an attorney/client relationship after the event.
When: Wednesday, October 25th from 6 to 8 pm.
Where: William H. Bowen School of Law, 1201 McMath Ave Little Rock, Arkansas.
Who: This event is sponsored by the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and the William H. Bowen School of Law.
How: To volunteer at this event, contact Lora Crawley at 501.376.3423 or lcrawley@arkansaslegalservices.org.
18 & Life to Go
What: Students and faculty from the University of Arkansas School of Law will present on legal topics from “18 and Life to Go: A Legal Handbook for Young Arkansans” to students at the ALLPS School of Innovation.
When: Friday, October 27th.
Where: ALLPS School of Innovation, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Who: This event is being organized by the University of Arkansas School of Law.
