Chief Justice Max Baer has written a letter to the more than 75,000 Pennsylvania-admitted attorneys, recounting the success of the state’s pro bono legal assistance program and requesting all attorneys to consider contributing time and financial support to Pennsylvanians in need of pro bono legal services.
The Chief Justice wrote:
“This year, the need is especially acute. The global pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income groups, and the resulting financial and familial stressors are exacerbating the need for civil legal aid among those who cannot afford private counsel. The Supreme Court supports civil legal aid programs in a variety of ways, including creating a continuing legal education pilot program to increase support for those programs, enacting rule changes to facilitate the provision of pro bono services by retired lawyers, funding a loan forgiveness program, and celebrating the work of pro bono volunteers. The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network works in conjunction with a range of regional and specialty legal aid providers, and these structures offer myriad opportunities for volunteer lawyers to donate their time and legal skills as well as their financial support.”
Read the entire letter here.