Arizona Attorney - January 2014

I suspect that if we made a list of lawyers who seek to give back to their communities, and a second list of lawyers who get some degree of agita from the State Bar’s continuing legal education requirements, lots of us would be on both lists. If you are among those counted twice, have I got a deal for you. Starting in January

2014, when providing legal assistance to the indigent through
“approved legal services organizations,” you can earn CLE for your
pro bono service.

Supreme Court Rule 45, as amended, permits a lawyer to claim one hour of CLE for every five hours of pro bono service, up to a maximum of five self-study CLE hours per year. (This would get you halfway to the aspirational 50 hours of annual pro bono assistance.) Wholly apart from the personal satisfaction you can receive from representing those in need, you can save money on CLE videos and courses.

When the State Bar’s Legal Services Committee and our partners at the Volunteer Lawyers Programs proposed this amendment, we wrestled with the scope of the pro bono service, and we ultimately recommended that the service be provided through those “approved legal services organizations” on file with the Clerk of the Arizona Supreme Court. The current list, available from the Clerk’s Office, contains a diverse range of organizations, and I will generally describe some of those below. Supreme Court Rule 38(e) sets forth the process by which other nonprofit entities can petition for certification, provided that “the provision of legal assistance to indigents, free of charge, in civil matters” is one of the organization’s primary purposes. So if your favorite nonprofit provides direct legal services to the poor or near poor, call them and urge them to get on the list.

Each of the three largest organizations in Arizona that provides general legal assistance to the indigent is already certified. Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Community Legal Services and DNA–People’s Legal Services are the general practice providers who represent tenants, domestic violence victims, recipients of public benefits and victims of debt collection or consumer scams. Each has a longstanding tradition of recruiting volunteers to assist in its work (look to the right for more information).

Some specialized nonprofits are also certified. The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project provides self-help and appellate assistance in civil immigration matters, so call them if you have a background in this important area. The William E. Morris Institute engages in individual and class action advocacy, so if you have interest and expertise in public education, public benefits and tenants’ rights, give them a holler. Or if you have expertise in helping others overcome barriers, the Arizona Center for Disability Law may be worth a shout.

There are many ways to serve, and the legal problems faced by Arizonans of limited means are too numerous to address without substantial volunteer assistance. And because the legal problems of the poor are not always easily remedied, the rule recognizes that it often takes additional study to provide quality service. So for those of you who already do pro bono work through a certi-

fied organization, make sure to claim the CLE credit for assistance provided on or after Jan. 1, 2014. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to serve, the new rule aspires to make it worth your while, find your niche and put your skills to good use.

Our aspirational pro bono service sets us apart from other professionals and affords us limitless opportunities to help our neighbors and to make our communities better and safer places. I hope you take advantage of this new CLE opportunity, and that you achieve fulfillment in volunteer service.

Opinions in the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the State Bar of Arizona, its Board of Governors, the Editorial Board or staff. The magazine provides an open forum for readers.

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GARY RESTAINO is a Next
Generation Fellow of the Arizona
Foundation for Legal Services and
Education, and a former Chair of the
State Bar’s Legal Services
Committee.

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