The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) recently launched an exciting new online platform designed to facilitate pro bono opportunities for lawyers throughout our community. The platform matches clients needing help with lawyers willing and able to provide lifechanging services to these clients, ultimately bettering the community through the generosity of the lawyers who participate.
We were especially excited to launch this new platform in advance of the annual Celebrate Pro Bono Week – a week-long celebration sponsored nationally by the American Bar Association recognizing the importance of pro bono work. BAMSL has been an active participant in the Pro Bono Week since its inception in 2009.
The new online platform, called Pro Bono Matters, can be accessed easily through the BAMSL Web site at www.bamsl.org/ProBonoMatters and features an array of actual pro bono cases for attorney involvement, as well as general descriptions of case and project types available through BAMSL’s qualified pro bono partners.
The Pro Bono Matters platform has been utilized in several other locations throughout the country and has proven to be an incredibly effective way for lawyers interested in pro bono involvement to review and ideally accept appropriate case referrals for distressed clients.
The platform will also feature a resource library with written and recorded pro bono training and documents critical for effective pro bono representation. The platform comes with a cost, and BAMSL has been the grateful beneficiary of a generous launch grant from former BAMSL President John Simon to ensure the program has the support necessary to succeed.
Simon has recognized the need for legal assistance for low-income people for a long time, serving on Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s Board of Directors for many years and providing meaningful pro bono work himself and through his firm. His commitment is evident.
"Pro bono service is a crucial part of being a lawyer," Simon said. "I know it is not always easy to find a good fit for all lawyers, so it was important to me to help support an initiative that will offer cases and volunteer opportunities that will appeal to a wide range of attorney interest and skills. I encourage all lawyers in our region to utilize this incredible new resource and make a difference."
The platform is designed for lawyers, providing a constantly updated list of case opportunities as lawyers determine how to get involved with critical pro bono work. The only organizations approved to post cases and pro bono opportunities will be those vetted by BAMSL and its Pro Bono Committee, and whose cases and projects focus on low-income clients and organizations who could not otherwise afford an attorney.
BAMSL Executive Director Susan McCourt Baltz is thrilled with the launch of Pro Bono Matters. "BAMSL receives more than 100 phone calls a month from people who need legal assistance," Baltz said. "I have seen how many people in our community need help and have wanted to find a way to efficiently meet that need. Through John’s generosity, Pro Bono Matters will allow the legal community to better provide lifechanging services to these clients. I could not be more excited about this new platform."
Only lawyers can provide many of these critical services for clients, so please make pro bono work a part of what you do, and please check out www.bamsl.org/ProBonoMatters to make that work happen.
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