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By Kenya Bodden
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase that means “for the public good.” We simply say, “pro bono.” During October, locally and nationally, we celebrate those who provide pro bono services, and promote participation by members of the legal community to provide pro bono services. This year, Pro Bono Week takes place October 24th to 28th.
The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono Services stated, “When society confers the privilege to practice law on an individual, he or she accepts the responsibility to promote justice and to make justice equally accessible to all people. Thus, all lawyers should aspire to render some legal services without fee or expectation of fee for the public good.” Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct 6.1 states, “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. All lawyers should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services per year.” This is often referred to as an aspirational rule.
Concerned about providing pro bono publico legal services because you will likely be working on something outside of your practice? Don’t know where to find pro bono opportunities? A great place to allay those concerns and answer those questions is Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN). VLN is a great organization that provides a list of pro bono opportunities and provides training to prepare legal professionals to handle pro bono matters. I will also be a panelist in a CLE on Thursday about doing pro bono work outside of your practice. Register for that CLE here. Concerned about providing pro bono services? RCBA is hosting a live webinar, Overcoming Pro Bono Imposter Syndrome, on October 27, 2022, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
During October, locally and nationally, we celebrate those who provide pro bono services, and promote participation by members of the legal community to provide pro bono services. This year, Pro Bono Week takes place October 24th to 28th.
If you are seeking a meaningful pro bono opportunity, there is critical need for attorneys to provide pro bono services in housing court for Minnesota residents facing eviction proceedings. According to VLN’s website, since October 3, 2022, eviction hearings have seen a significant uptick. VLN offers training for legal professionals who would like to provide pro bono services in housing court. If you missed the training on October 18,
VLN’s website has on-demand video training courses.
Something to keep in mind: Minnesota attorneys have a new reporting requirement in 2022. The new reporting requirement is based on the aspirational goal outlined in Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct 6.1. During reporting, attorneys will be asked the approximate number of hours spent in the prior year providing pro bono services and whether financial support was provided in the prior calendar year to organizations who provide legal services to persons of limited means.
To further the encouragement of legal professionals providing pro bono publico services, the Minnesota State Board of Continuing Legal Education-Rules of the Board of Continuing Legal Education 6C states, “A lawyer may claim 1 hour of standard CLE credits for every 6 hours of pro bono legal representation. The pro bono services must be referred through an approved legal services provider, to provide pro bono legal representation, to a pro bono client.
Keeping with our commitment to be of service to our community, RCBA is also offering an opportunity to members to provide food to those in need. Come join us Wednesday, November 9, 2022, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Second Harvest Heartland. During this event, volunteers will assist with sorting, labeling, weighing, and packing various food items to meet the needs of members in our community who are going hungry. Please contact Andrew Olson, aolson@mnbars.org, if you would like to attend.
“Certainly, life as a lawyer is a bit more complex today than it was a century ago. The ever- increasing pressures of the legal marketplace, the need to bill hours, to market to clients, and to attend to the bottom line, have made fulfilling the responsibilities of community service quite difficult. But public service marks the difference between a business and a profession. While a business can afford to focus solely on profits, a profession cannot. It must devote itself first to the community it is responsible to serve. I can imagine no greater duty than fulfilling this obligation. And I can imagine no greater pleasure.”
—Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Kenya Bodden, 2022-2023 Ramsey County Bar Association President, is a partner at Thompson Coe LLP, a 70 plus year old national complex litigation law firm with more than 200 attorneys. Kenya focuses his litigation practice in the areas of casualty, transportation, insurance defense, and products liability. He also serves as a board member of Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), a dedicated group of volunteers who raise funds to invest in innovative and integral health care programs at Children’s Minnesota.