Pro Bono Firms

What is Pro Bono Legal Assistance?
American Bar Association MLP Pro Bono Support Project
Private Law Firms Partnered with MLPs

What is pro bono legal assistance?

The legal profession has a strong ethic that supports pro bono activity by lawyers.  The American Bar Association (ABA) ethical rules recommend that lawyers contribute at least fifty hours of pro bono service annually, and has a Standing Committee to support, facilitate and expand pro bono participation.  This guideline acknowledges the gap in access to legal assistance for poor people, and highlights the critical role that the private bar – from law firms to solo practitioners to corporate counsel – can play bridging the justice gap.

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American Bar Association MLP Pro Bono Support Project

In October 2008, the ABA made a significant commitment to the MLP model by developing a national support center to further extend the reach of medical-legal partnership by engaging the private bar in support of these partnerships.  The center is supported by the ABA Enterprise Fund and is a joint project of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, the Health Law Section, the AIDS Coordinating Committee and the ABA Center on Children and the Law.

In 2011, the ABA MLP Pro Bono Support Project established its first annual Outstanding MLP Pro Bono Advocacy Award. We are now accepting nominations from MLP sites who wish to recognize the crucial work of their pro bono partners, from individual attorneys to law firms and corporate law departments. The award will be presented at the 2011 MLP Summit, to be held March 24-25 in Baltimore, MD. To nominate a partner, please review the award announcement and criteria and guidelines, and send a completed nomination form to Kelly Scott-Flood at kelly.scottflood@americanbar.org. All forms are due March 7, 2011 at 5:00pm CST.
 

For more information, please contact:

Kelly Scott-Flood
Assistant Staff Counsel, ABA Center for Pro Bono
Medical-Legal Partnerships Pro Bono Support Project
kelly.scottflood@americanbar.org
(312) 988 - 5805   Office
(312) 988 - 5483   Fax

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Private Law Firms Partnered with MLPs

In 2009, pro bono partners provided over $13 million in in-kind services to medical-legal partnerships across the U.S.

Along with legal services organizations, private law firms and corporate counsel play an integral role in MLPs, whether taking specific cases and participating in clinics or working with health institutions to establish new partnerships. On a national level, law firms have donated countless hours to assist with confidentiality and ethics issues, as well as to help guide MLP policy efforts.
 

Pro Bono Partners

For highlights on various pro bono projects, please click here.

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