New Pro Bono Opportunities for Business Attorneys

• Publication year: 2002
• Pages: 53
• Citation: Vol. 31 No. 5 Pg. 53

31 Colo.Law. 53 Colorado Lawyer 2002.

2002, May, Pg. 53. New Pro Bono Opportunities For Business Attorneys

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53

Vol. 31, No. 5, Pg. 53

The Colorado Lawyer
May 2002
Vol. 31, No. 5 [Page 53]

Departments
Access to Justice
New Pro Bono Opportunities For Business Attorneys
by Kathleen J. Gebhardt

This month's article was written by Kathleen Gebhardt, of Kathleen J. Gebhardt, L.L.C., Boulder - (303) 499-8859 or e-mail: kjgebhardt@att.net

This department is printed six times per calendar year Readers interested in contributing an article on legal services, pro bono, and access to justice topics should contact Kathleen Gebhardt at (303) 499-8859 or
kjgebhardt@att.net

Pro bono opportunities for business, tax, and transactional attorneys will soon increase due to the efforts of the recently created Business Task Force of the Colorado Lawyers' Committee.1 Patterned after the efforts of the American Bar Association ("ABA") Section of Business Law Pro Bono Committee, the Task Force was established to bring together two different constituencies: business lawyers and community organizations. This article describes the priorities of the Task Force and the types of projects that have been successful in other states.

Needs Assessment

The Business Task Force's first priority is a "needs assessment," which will be undertaken with the assistance of the staff of Colorado Legal Services ("CLS"). CLS staff and its Director, Jonathan Asher, will help "to establish priorities and identify potential partnerships" between business lawyers and community organizations.2 This coordination of effort is critical in determining needs, as well as the services required to meet these needs.

The Business Task Force has targeted three areas of need: (1) organizations that may want legal assistance by general counsel; (2) organizations involved in community economic development; and (3) economic development activities that will meet the defined needs in Colorado communities.3 When developing projects, members of the Business Task Force will evaluate issues in the Denver metropolitan area, as well as statewide. The examples below demonstrate that both urban and rural environments will benefit from the assistance.

ABA Projects in Other States

Several years ago, the ABA Section of Business Law Pro Bono Committee implemented a model that has since proven to be successful in...