Guest Editorial: Pro Bono Month

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - October is recognized as Pro Bono Month in Alabama. This month-long campaign shines a spotlight on the amazing pro bono work by lawyers across the state. It’s also an important vehicle for deepening services to Alabamians living on the social margins.

Many pro bono clients are dealing with the worst crisis of their lives. On any given day in Alabama, a volunteer lawyer might assist an elderly couple threatened with eviction from their apartment, a young woman with small children seeking protection from an abusive husband, or a terminally ill veteran trying to prepare for his children's future.

The lawyer providing pro bono service is the face of hope. Volunteer lawyers walk clients through legal forms, explain legal language in very plain terms, and advise on next steps.

Our state has one of the most active pro bono programs in the country. Alabama’s pro bono attorneys have closed nearly three times the numbers of cases as pro bono attorneys in other states.

For more than 25 years, the Alabama State Bar has administered a Volunteer Lawyers Program in 60 of Alabama’s 67 counties. While we lead the nation in giving back, there is more work to be done. We know Alabama’s attorneys will answer the call.

If you need free legal help on civil matters, you can contact the Bar’s Volunteer Lawyers Program at (888) 857-8571 or the Montgomery Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Program at (334) 265-0222.

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