IndyBar: Pro Bono for Any Schedule
Volunteers are now being sought for two IndyBar pro bono programs that allow members to dedicate just an hour or two to helping the community.
Pro bono
Articles
IndyBar: Lindsay Faulkenberg: Be Willing — The Gateway to a Great Pro Bono Experience
Lindsay Faulkenberg, a veteran attorney at Kids’ Voice of Indiana, devotes approximately five hours a week to pro bono work. Her formula for a fulfilling pro bono experience is relatively simple: you have to “be willing.”
Notre Dame law students’ Impowerus wins raves for empowering immigrant teens
Notre Dame Law students created an online platform — Impowerus — designed to connect pro bono attorneys with people who need legal services. What sets this product apart from the other sites is its focus — a specific demographic, immigrant youth — and its aim to be self-sufficient, charging lawyers licensing fees rather than relying on donations.
Study: Legal needs rise despite available aid
Despite a continued need for legal representation, few Americans hire attorneys. Legal aid experts said there are two questions the legal community should consider: what’s keeping people, particularly those from low-income communities, from hiring legal help; and how can the profession reverse the trend?
Former ND law clinic employee pleads guilty to 11 felonies
The former employee of the University of Notre Dame who was charged with taking nearly $200,000 from the law school’s Clinical Law Center will plead guilty plea and faces up to five years in prison.
Legal aid funding included in budget deal
As part of the $400 billion budget deal passed by Congress early Friday morning, Legal Services Corp., which provides financial support to Indiana Legal Services, will continue to receive funding about equal to its fiscal year 2017 appropriation. The White House had once proposed completely defunding the agency.
Ex-judge candidate teaches power of voting, is among 6 honored
An Elkhart lawyer who teaches schoolchildren the value of voting is among six attorneys recognized by the Indiana Bar Foundation for their volunteer efforts.
New ILS project assists nonprofits serving the indigent
A new initiative launched at Indiana Legal Services is aimed at helping nonprofits with their legal needs. The Community Development Legal Project, which officially started in September, is designed to provide services to 501(c)(3) organizations that stretch their dollars to serve the indigent population and have little or no resources to spend on hiring attorneys to draft agreements, file for tax-exempt status, or handle other legal issues.
Pilot project aims to short-circuit the CHINS process
With the help of a nearly $1 million grant, Child Advocates, Inc., is partnering with Indianapolis Legal Aid Society in a pilot project designed to sweep youths from the child in need of services process and get them into stable homes.
Medical-legal partnership launched in northwest Indiana
Indiana Legal Services is partnering with a Valparaiso-based health care provider to launch a first-of-its-kind medical-legal partnership program in northwest Indiana.
Attorneys say thanks by offering legal help to first responders
A recent one-day clinic allowed volunteer attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff to prepare 130 legal documents for first responders.
‘Beautiful help’ allows federal ex-offenders to remake lives
A project in the federal courthouse in Indianapolis aims to take what the court calls the “worst of the worst” ex-offenders and offers them a hand to break the cycle of bad decisions, criminal behavior and reincarceration.
Additional guidance issued on pro bono reporting
With the annual attorney registration set to begin Tuesday in Indiana, the Coalition for Court Access has issued additional guidance for reporting pro bono hours.
Young, Donnelly indicate support for legal-aid funding
With the budget looming on the agenda of the U.S. Senate, Indiana’s two senators are both supportive of federal funding for legal aid, but neither are putting any dollar amount to their support.
Indiana joins ABA’s portal offering free legal advice
In recent months, the Indiana resource transitioned from being a stand-alone website that the Indiana Bar Foundation operated to becoming a part of the American Bar Association’s online portal, ABAFreeLegalAnswers.org. Currently, the bar foundation is reintroducing the website — indiana.freelegalanswers.org — to attorneys around the state.
Pro bono reporting results draw mixed reaction
The first round of data collected from Indiana’s new pro bono reporting rule invoked opposing reactions among the members of the Coalition for Court Access who recently reviewed the numbers. Some thought the amount of time and money lawyers donated to legal aid was shameful, while others were thrilled with the level of giving.
Indy-area attorneys hosting re-entry job fair
Members of Indianapolis’ legal community are offering assistance today to help recently incarcerated people find the jobs and resources they’ll need to build their future.
IBF grants support housing and expungement programs
Housing initiatives and expungement programs around the state will receive a boost of nearly $700,000 through the Indiana Bar Foundation’s Community Redevelopment and Justice grants.
Civil filing fee extension going to governor
The bill extending the $1 surcharge on civil legal filings is headed to the governor’s desk.
House to consider extension of civil legal filing fee
A bill which would extend the pro bono legal services fee on court filings has cleared a committee in the Indiana House of Representatives and is headed for a second reading Tuesday on the floor of the lower chamber.