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Access to Justice ANNOUNCING ... North Star Lawyer A New MSBA Pro Bono Recognition Program
Real Faces of Pro BonoAs part of National Pro Bono Week, October 21 - 27, the MSBA presented a CLE entitled Real Faces of Pro Bono. Pro bono lawyers provide crucial representation to low income people who would not otherwise be able to afford their services. A panel of attorneys and their clients will discuss the work they have done together and how that work has affected both the client’s and attorney’s lives. View the program here. 2012 Pro Bono Standard Firms In 2008, the MSBA Assembly passed the MSBA Pro Bono Standard to encourage law practices to help meet the needs of low-income Minnesotans. The Standard asks firms to commit to providing one percent of the firm’s lawyers’ collective billable hours during the first year of participation, two percent during the second year, and, for firms with more than 100 lawyers, three percent during and after the third year. In 2011, the MSBA Assembly amended the Standard to include corporate, governmental and other public law offices in which at least one-half of the lawyers participate in pro bono service.
Civil Gideon Task Force Final Report Now Available The final report of the Civil Gideon Task Force is now available. Access to Justice: Assessing Implementation of Civil Gideon in Minnesota contains detailed information about low income people's needs for representation in matters involving basic human needs, the impacts when counsel is not available, and recommendations for addressing the justice gap. The report has been accepted by the MSBA Assembly and is being reviewed for potential further action by the Bar. More information about the Task Force is here. Questions about the report can be directed to MSBA staff liaison to the Task Force, Steve Hirsh. Minnesota Client Access, Barriers and Solutions Study The Minnesota Client Access, Barriers and Solutions Study ("MN-CABS Study") was a joint project of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Bremer Foundation, the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition and the Legal Services Advisory Committee. The purpose of the MN-CABS Study was to identify specific groups of legal services-eligible clients around Minnesota, the barriers they face to obtaining legal services, and strategies for overcoming those barriers. This study was the first of its kind in Minnesota and in the country. Its innovative methodology - using direct surveys and focus groups of eligible clients, much of it conducted by staff from legal services and pro bono programs that have been trained by University of Minnesota researchers - provides a model of client-centered analysis that goes well beyond generic needs assessments. The study was released on September 13, 2011 and is available at the following link: Final MN-CABS Report. The MSBA Legal Assistance to the Disadvantaged Committee has developed a Program Self-Audit to help programs include the findings of the report as they set local priorities. Links to the Sel-Audit and other MN-CABS resources are available here. For more information about the report, contact MSBA Access to Justice Director Steve Hirsh at shirsh@mnbar.org.
Celebrate Pro Bono: 2009 Report on Pro Bono Legal Service
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