As a project of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, the Center for Pro Bono promotes and assists bar associations, legal services offices, law firms, judges, government attorneys, corporate counsel and individual attorneys in providing pro bono legal services to the poor and disadvantaged. Among its many endeavors, the Center operates as a clearinghouse of information regarding pro bono legal services for the poor, and supports the states in their activities related to pro bono development.

As more and more state bar associations increase their financial and political support for legal services to the poor, an increasing number of calls come into the Center requesting information about the "cutting edge" models for statewide pro bono support. With that in mind, all states and the District of Columbia were surveyed in the summer/fall of 1997. The responses have been verified to the extent possible, but in some instances exact figures were not available and in others approximate figures were provided. The charts in the Appendix were compiled from statistics reported to the ABA by the various jurisdictions, state bar membership figures reported by the ABA Membership and Marketing Division, and IOLTA figures reported by the ABA Commission on IOLTA. Specific jurisdictions should be contacted for further inquiries.

Pro Bono Delivery and Support: A Directory of Statewide Models is a response to groups and individuals that have requested a national compilation and description of the programs designed to support pro bono services statewide. In addition to basic program information, the Directory contains descriptions of specific activities in each state that promote pro bono activity.

The survey results indicate that states have developed a variety of approaches to promote the ethic of pro bono work in their legal communities. These approaches attempt to remove barriers to pro bono participation, provide incentives for pro bono service, and coordinate statewide recruitment of volunteers for local pro bono programs.

The coordination of efforts and organizations that promote access to pro bono legal services varies among the states. The three general categories of programs which support this effort are: (1) Access to Justice programs; (2) Statewide Pro Bono Support programs; and (3) Statewide Direct Delivery programs. In some states, pro bono services are conducted solely on a local or regional level with no statewide coordination.

The Access to Justice category is the newest and most integrated form of statewide coordination. Various models of Access to Justice programs are in place in California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin. Access to Justice Directors oversee all issues related to access to justice and delivery of legal services to low income people. They coordinate legal services providers, pro bono programs, specialized legal services providers, IOLTA, the judiciary and the courts, local, specialty and minority bar associations, the dispute resolution community, law schools, non-attorney advocates, and many other groups that seek to enhance and strengthen civil access to justice.

Statewide Pro Bono Support programs exist, in one form or another, in 29 jurisdictions. These programs provide a range of activities including technical assistance to local pro bono programs, sponsoring recognition awards, organizing continuing legal education training programs, planning state pro bono conferences, and coordinating recruitment campaigns for the benefit of local programs. Most pro bono support directors also provide staff support to state bar committees whose mission relates to pro bono activities, civil legal services delivery or access to justice issues. These committees typically consider issues such as proposing or implementing mandatory/voluntary pro bono reporting, filing fee surcharges or state legal needs surveys.

The American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono is pleased to present this compilation of materials. We hope this material will help you in measuring your accomplishments, assessing your needs, and advancing the national ideal for equal access to justice.

Honorable Judith M. Billings

Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service

February 1998

Statewide Support Program A program where pro bono support is accomplished through a statewide entity involving the dedication of full or part-time staff. These programs offer a range of technical assistance including training, conferences, development of local pro bono programs, publicity and staffing of state bar pro bono or legal services committees. These programs do not provide direct delivery of legal services except on an intermittent basis.

Statewide Support Function A function performed by a bar association, bar committee or other entity that provides limited forms of technical assistance to local pro bono programs, or that supports the development of statewide pro bono policy initiatives.

Access to Justice Program A type of program that originated in the states in response to federal funding cuts and advocacy restrictions. Generally, these programs aim to create an innovative, integrated delivery system designed to provide a full range of legal services to the broadest spectrum of clients in need. These programs may take the form of boards, task forces, commissions, foundations, or coalitions.

Statewide Direct Delivery A program that recruits, trains, and refers pro bono cases to pro bono attorneys on a statewide basis. Some direct delivery programs handle client intake and others do not.

Independent Program A program that is not a part of the bar association, bar foundation, or legal services program. Most often it is a separate 501(3)(c) corporation.

None of the Above This category covers pro bono programs that are not statewide and that do not fit into any of the other categories.