The Legal Services Corporation’s Board will be in Little Rock on January 30th and 31st for its quarterly meeting. The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the largest funder of civil legal aid organizations in the nation, distributing federal funds allocated by Congress. As part of its meeting, the LSC will host a series of public events to honor pro bono service and discuss solutions to the justice gap.
This quarter’s featured AR Free Legal Answers volunteer is Paul Bowen. Paul is an attorney and freelance writer in Little Rock. In 2019, he answered sixty one questions, more than any other volunteer in that year! When we asked Paul what motivates him to do pro bono, he cited his faith.
2019 was a banner year for AR Free Legal Answers. The year started with a grant from the Arkansas Bar Foundation to help us let Arkansans know about Free Legal Answers. With that grant we printed printed 10,000 brochures and throughout the year we distributed them at courthouses, shelters, and libraries across the state. That effort paid off with a 53% increase in the number of questions answered by our volunteer attorneys, compared to 2018.
Volunteer attorneys from around Arkansas have answered over 140 questions from pro bono clients so far this year on AR.freelegalanswers.org. This mid-year performance is the best since the site launched in 2016. If the trend continues, volunteers will set a new full-year record for the most clients helped through the site. The number of volunteers has also increased substantially, with 74 attorneys registered as volunteers on the site, an increase of 26 over this point last year.
AR.freelegalanswers.org is a pro bono portal that allows low to moderate-income Arkansans who are unable to pay for an attorney to post a question and receive an answer from a volunteer attorney. When a client visits the site, they complete a screening to ensure that they are eligible for assistance. Clients who are eligible are then allowed to post a question, along with any relevant documents.
Attorneys who volunteer on the site come from a variety of practice settings, including large firms, solo practices, government agencies, and in-house counsel departments. Law students have also contributed to the site’s success. Both the University of Arkansas School of Law and the William H. Bowen School of Law have hosted clinics where law students assisted clients under the supervision of licensed attorneys. Additional clinics are scheduled for September 27th at the University of Arkansas School of Law and October 25th at the William H. Bowen School of Law.
Volunteers receive monthly emails notifying them of all questions waiting for an answer. Some volunteers choose to receive an immediate notification each time a question is posted in one of their practice areas. When a volunteer is ready to help a client, they are able to view all questions in the queue and choose just the questions they feel comfortable answering. Attorney volunteers are asked only to provide advice. Court appearances are never required of volunteers, as clients agree that the scope of representation is limited to advice.
In order for the site’s success to continue, additional volunteers are needed. Currently, 74% of qualified applicants are able to be matched with a volunteer attorney. In order to serve 100% of qualified applicants, volunteers are needed to answer questions on the following topics: divorce, custody, housing, wills and estates, healthcare, and public benefits. Attorneys interested in volunteering on AR.freelegalanswers.org can get started by completing a brief registration form.
Members of the public seeking legal help should get started by checking their eligibility here. Social workers, court personnel, clergy, or others interested in connecting potentially eligible clients with AR.freelegalanswers.org should contact the site administrator, Jordan Rogers, to request free brochures.
AR.freelegalanswers.org is a collaborative project of the American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Foundation, and Arkansas Access to Justice.
The Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation today announces a writing contest with a $1000 prize to be awarded to the best entry from an Arkansas high school student, and another to the best entry from an Arkansas adult (age 19 or older). The Hope for Justice Prize will be awarded for original, written works of fiction that illuminate the importance of access to justice in the lives of children. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2017.
For more information, including complete terms and conditions, click here.