NFPA Press Release
Lori Thompson
Pro Bono Co-Coordinator
Probono@paralegals.orgJune 9, 2003
113 PARALEGALS MEET NFPA's 24-HOUR PRO BONO ASPIRATION DURING 2002
June 9, 2003 -- The Totals are in! Nineteen of NFPA's member associations reported pro bono hours for their members. 113 paralegals met or exceeded the 24-hour annual goal of pro bono service. A total of 2,712 hours were devoted by paralegals towards pro bono service.
NFPA's commitment to pro bono has opened doors for paralegals to make a significant contribution towards providing legal services to the low-income members of their community and provided paralegals new found recognition with their local state bar associations.
The NFPA Pro Bono Committee has been collecting the hours since 2000 and it is impressive to see the totals significantly increase every year. Four paralegals met the 24-hour goal for all three years (2000, 2001, and 2002). Twenty-seven paralegals met the 24-hour goal for two consecutive years.
In 1999, NFPA amended its Model Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Guidelines for Enforcement to include that each paralegal should aspire to contribute 24 hours of pro bono service annually. The 24-hour aspiration is based on NFPA acknowledging the growing demand for paralegals to help in pro bono projects in their local communities. The goal can easily be met by dedicating the equivalent of two lunch hours a month towards pro bono work. Fifty-two paralegals came forward and reported that they had met or exceeded the 24 hour aspiration during 2000 that equated to devoting 1,248 hours towards meeting the legal needs of the low-income residents in their communities.
In 2001, NFPA delegates passed a Resolution [stating that paralegals could earn?] CLE Credits for Pro Bono service. That Resolution acknowledges the paralegals receive substantive and in-depth training related specifically to the area of pro bono legal service and that many paralegals fulfill pro bono service by conducting legal research projects. Another achievement during 2001 was the publication of the updated NFPA Directory of Pro Bono Programs that detailed the activity of NFPA's member associations towards pro bono service. Seventy-nine paralegals reported their pro bono hours for 2001 and a total of 1,896 hours were devoted to pro bono service.
During 2002, the NFPA Delegates passed a resolution (02F-1) to amend Section EC-1.4(d) (Ethical Consideration) of the Model Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Guidelines for Enforcement to include administrative hours to develop and implement pro bono services. A total of 113 paralegals reported meeting or exceeding the 24 hour aspiration for a total of 2,712 hours devoted to pro bono service.
Congratulations to all for an outstanding effort. The NFPA Pro Bono Committee would not be able to report this information without the hard work and dedication of the local association pro bono leaders. Their dedication towards pro bono is appreciated!
Information about NFPA's Pro Bono program: http://www.paralegals.org/ProBono/home.html
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 15,000 paralegals in the United States and Canada. NFPA is the national voice and the standard for excellence for the paralegal profession through its work on the issues of regulation, ethics and education (www.paralegals.org).
