Cba's Lend-a-lawyer Program Expands Its Recruitment Horizons
| Jurisdiction | Colorado,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 22 No. 2 Pg. 261 |
| Pages | 261 |
| Publication year | 1993 |
1993, February, Pg. 261. CBA's Lend-A-Lawyer Program Expands Its Recruitment Horizons
After two years of concentrating its recruitment efforts on large law firm associates and retired lawyers, the Colorado Bar Association's Lend-A-Lawyer program is seeking to expand its applicant pool to maintain its vitality and, if possible, expand its scope. In December 1992, the organization ran its first-ever classified ad in The Colorado Lawyer soliciting applications from any lawyer who has practiced for at least three years and is interested in public service work and a new challenge.
The Lend-A-Lawyer program was founded in 1990, primarily as a result of efforts by then CBA president Christopher Brauchli. Now a nonprofit corporation, it places volunteer lawyers in rural Colorado communities to perform four months of pro bono legal work for low-income persons who live there. The demand for free legal representation for indigent people in these communities, such as La Junta, Montrose, and Alamosa, far exceeds the assistance available from dedicated local bar members. Lend-A-Lawyers ease the burden the citizens and bar associations of these communities face by handling pro bono cases on a full-time, rotating basis.
"While the program has been a great success, uninterrupted staffing using only large firm associates and seniors has become more difficult in the past year," said Brauchli, who now serves as Lend-A-Lawyer's president. "Our board voted in September to try something new to solve this staffing dilemma." Lend-A-Lawyer's ad, which appears again on page 267 of this issue, has already yielded candidates for program openings. Since Lend-A-Lawyer desires to fill future positions as well as current ones, it strongly encourages all interested lawyers to apply, even if they are not immediately available to participate.
Once accepted into the program, participants are not simply "sent out into the cold." Members of the Colorado Coalition of Legal Services provide a day-long training program on subjects new Lend-A-Lawyers...
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