Building on the extraordinary success of the first annual National Pro Bono Celebration in 2009, the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is sponsoring the Celebration again this year, from October 24 through 30, 2010. The Celebration is a coordinated national effort to meet the ever-growing needs of this country's most vulnerable citizens by encouraging and supporting local efforts to expand the delivery of pro bono legal services and by showcasing the great difference that pro bono lawyers make to the nation, its system of justice, its communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve.
For the 2010 Pro Bono Week Celebration, attorneys are asked plan to take the next step to increase pro bono participation and expand legal services to low income individuals and groups. What is the next step for attorneys? A recruitment event? A clinic? A community education program? No matter where practitioners are, there is another step to take to provide access to justice for all.
The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service chose to launch this important initiative because of the increasing need for pro bono services during these harsh economic times and the unprecedented response of attorneys to meet this demand.
Although national in breadth, the Celebration provides an opportunity for local legal associations across the country to take the next step in their efforts to provide high-quality legal services to those living on the social margins.
A guiding principle of the Pro Bono Committee is to support these local efforts and to assist in their growth and effectiveness by providing information, planning guides, resources, and consultation services through thier website. The legal needs of the poor are local issues, and although nationwide, this celebration is intended to have a local focus and impact. Goals for the celebration include recruiting more pro bono volunteers and increasing legal services to poor and vulnerable people,mobilizing community support for pro bono, fostering collaborative relationships, and recognizing the pro bono efforts of America's lawyers.
For detailed information on events and volunteer opportunities, please visithttp://www.probono.net/celebrateprobono.