Pro Bono Celebration Week Alabama's 2011 Celebration a Big Success

• Jurisdiction: Alabama,United States
• Citation: Vol. 72 No. 6 Pg. 0504
• Pages: 0504
• Publication year: 2011

PRO BONO CELEBRATION WEEK Alabama's 2011 Celebration A Big Success
Vol. 72 No. 6 Pg. 504
The Alabama Lawyer
NOVEMBER, 2011

Nothing epitomizes the Alabama State Bar's motto better than the efforts of Alabama lawyers during Pro Bono Celebration Week and throughout the year. In 2009, the American Bar Association approved the first National Pro Bono Celebration. This year, the state bar held its third Pro Bono Celebration, in October. The celebration was an opportunity to recognize the impact that lawyers have in their communities, to recruit and train more pro bono volunteers and to acknowledge the partnerships that form the basis for so many of the private bar's successful pro bono efforts.

Widespread poverty and legal issues

Over 940,000 Alabamians live in poverty, including more than 300,000 Alabama children. Twenty-five percent of these Alabamians face legal issues requiring representation. The majority of these are civil problems, consumer issues (creditor harassment, utility non-payment, bankruptcy), health issues (Medicaid, government insurance, nursing home), family law issues (divorce, child support/custody, abuse), employment issues (unemployment benefits, pension, lost employment), and housing issues (unsatisfactory repairs, foreclosure, eviction, poor living conditions). And many of these are critical to the safety and independence of these citizens.

Model program

Through the efforts of Tom Methvin and Alyce Spruell, both state bar past presidents, and with the support of Alabama State Bar President Jim Pratt, Alabama's Pro Bono Celebration Week has become a model program consistently recognized by the American Bar Association as one of the best in the country. In fact, the ABA's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service held one of its semi-annual meetings in Birmingham this year, because it recognized that there is "a burgeoning pro bono commitment" throughout Alabama.

This year, the Pro Bono Celebration Task Force obtained proclamations by...