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Subcommittee to assist the coordinators include conducting online trainings for their pro bono
attorneys, creating the “Do Good, Do Well, Do Pro Bono” campaign to encourage young
attorneys to volunteer, and coordinating a public interest issue of the Louisiana Bar Journal.
Other efforts to encourage new and/or unemployed attorneys to do volunteer work include
developing template presentations which local programs can use to conduct CLE Programs on
pro bono, soliciting judicial support of pro bono through the Louisiana Supreme Court, and
continuing to encourage law firm involvement through development of model pro bono policies.

In an effort to increase pro bono work, attorneys can now gain CLE credit for “uncompensated
pro bono legal representation to an indigent or near-indigent client or clients.” Under an order
signed by Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, attorneys can earn one hour of CLE credit for every
five hours of pro bono representation, up to a maximum of three hours of CLE credit per year.
Louisiana Appleseed volunteer attorneys worked on this project, which was made effective by
Louisiana Supreme Court order on May 1, 2015. Attorneys volunteering with
LA.FreeLegalAnswers.org and the LSBA’s Lawyers and Libraries program are eligible to earn
CLE credit through this new rule.

Voluntary Pro Bono Reporting Mechanism
The Access to Justice Committee annually collects statistics on pro bono service, voluntarily
reported by Louisiana State Bar Association members in conjunction with submission of their
annual fee statements through the “Voluntary Pro Bono Reporting” form. Each year, thousands
of volunteer hours of legal services to poor people go unreported by attorneys who think it does
not matter or who think it is self-aggrandizing to report. The ATJ Department collects this
information for two very important reasons. The first is to obtain a more accurate picture of the
amount of good work Louisiana attorneys are doing in their communities. The second is to place
a monetary value on the amount of pro bono legal work provided by Louisiana attorneys each
year. Often potential funders ask how private attorneys are assisting the poor in Louisiana.
Through the collection of this valuable data, the LSBA ATJ Department and civil legal aid
programs can provide a definitive answer – in 2018, attorneys provided approximately 100,000
hours of pro bono legal advice when valued at $150/hour amounts to $15 million worth of pro
bono legal assistance. The “Voluntary Pro Bono Reporting Form” can be found online at:
www.lsba.org/ATJ/ProBonoVoluntaryReporting.aspx.

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