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.
Send your own letter
or My Last Word
column (700 words)
to arizona.attorney@
azbar.org.
(Please provide a high-resolution 2
5
3 head shot
with your My Last Word
submission.)
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.
The Last Word has been a part of ARIZONA ATTORNEY
since 2004. Its mission is to enlighten and enliven.
But lawyers beyond our circle of back-page columnists have
insights, too. And so we created “My Last Word,” a place for
members’ own musings. We welcome your submission.
by Gary Restaino
AZ AT
Extra Value for
Volunteer Service
OFFERING YOUR HELP
To enroll as a volunteer to provide
general legal assistance, contact:
Community Legal Services
(Maricopa, Mohave, La Paz, Yavapai
and Yuma Counties)
VLP Director Pat Gerrich at
pgerrich@clsaz.org or 602-254-4714
Southern Arizona Legal Aid
(Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee,
Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz Counties)
VLP Director Michele Mirto
at
mmirto@sazlegalaid.org or
520-623-9465, ext. 4171
DNA-People’s Legal Services
(Coconino County, Navajo Nation,
Hopi Tribe)
Sylvia J. Struss at
sstruss@dnalegalservices.org
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