How to find a pro bono attorney

How to find a pro bono attorney - for free; by Attorneys.org Admin3

Pro bono means for the public good and that is what pro bono attorneys try to do. A pro bono attorney works free of charge for you. They are from all different specializations such as family law, criminal law and administrative law. Most states require an attorney to do a certain number of pro bono hours per year although there are some who volunteer way more than the required hours to help people who are handicapped or economically disabled.

There are many reasons why you may need an attorney, such as an eviction notice or being accused of a crime. The problem is that while the criminal courts will appoint you an attorney, for most other courts you must hire an attorney yourself. Attorneys can be very expensive making the hiring of one out of reach for a lot of people. Finding a good pro bono attorney however is not easy. Most attorneys who do pro bono work do not advertise so you need to know how and where to look for one.

To find a pro bono attorney the first thing you may want to do is open your phone book and call around to the lawyers who specialize in general practice. You can simply ask if they may be taking on any pro bono work. Most of the larger practices have a pro bono coordinator whom you may ask to speak with. The pro bono coordinator will be able to tell you if any of the firm’s attorneys are taking pro bono work at that time and guide you in reaching that person.

If your case is not related to criminal law but family law or eviction, you may be able to call your state’s Legal Aide service.  Legal Aide services were put into place to help people who genuinely cannot afford an attorney for cases such as child custody, child support, disability claims, etc. These places will require you to fill out a form proving your income but depending upon the case may be able to help.

You can also call the state Bar and ask them for a list of attorneys who take pro bono work. They may be able to furnish you with a list of attorneys who have not completed their pro bono work for the year.

Many pro bono attorneys enjoy pro bono work for the extra experience they can get handling cases that are maybe not in their usual field. If an attorney wishes to add another area of law to their portfolio taking your case could be a win-win situation. Perhaps an administrative attorney wants to get a little family law under his belt and you need to handle a simple criminal law problem like a speeding ticket, you get his experience as an attorney and he gets to go into a court room and gain valuable experience in front of a judge rather then with just paperwork.

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