Page 263 - 2019 Orientation Manual

LSBA Pro Bono Publico & Children’s Law Awards

The LSBA’s ATJ Committee and staff conduct the nomination process and oversee the vetting of
the LSBA Pro Bono Awards for the Board of Governors. In addition, the LSBA Century Club
Awards recognize volunteers who have completed at least 100 hours of pro bono service in a
calendar year through an established non-profit pro bono organization. The Committee annually
solicits pro bono awards nominations and makes recommendations to the Louisiana State Bar
Association. Awards include:

• Pro Bono Publico Award

• Career Public Interest Award

• David A. Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award

• Friend of Pro Bono Award

• Law Student Pro Bono Awards

• LA.FreeLegalAnswers Award

• Children’s Law Award

• Century Club Awards

The Louisiana Supreme Court hosts the annual awards ceremony and reception for the LSBA
award recipients.

Statewide Pro Bono Survey
In January 2017, the Access to Justice Department and Louisiana pro bono projects partnered with
the American Bar Association (ABA) to distribute a statewide survey to assess commitment and
access to pro bono. Specifically, the survey was designed to assess the state of pro bono in the
legal profession, quantify and recognize the pro bono work done by attorneys, and understand the
factors that encourage or discourage pro bono service. All LSBA members were encouraged to
complete the survey, regardless of whether they volunteered time to pro bono cases within the past
year. The results from the survey were published in the December 2017/January 2018 Louisiana
Bar Journal and are featured on the ATJ Commission website. In addition, the survey results were
presented to those present at the May 22, 2018 Pro Bono Summit in New Orleans.

Statewide Pro Bono Summit

Scheduled in conjunction with this 2018 LSBA Pro Bono Publico & Children’s Law awards
ceremony, the Pro Bono Subcommittee and ATJ Department hosted a Pro Bono Summit at the
Louisiana Supreme Court. The Summit provided 4 hours of CLE for those who attended and
featured the results from the 2017 Pro Bono Survey. In addition to the survey results the summit
included discussion on how pro bono representation has changed over the years, pro bono
innovations, and how to best cultivate the pro bono leaders of tomorrow.

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