I can’t let January slip away without pointing you toward a great column in Arizona Attorney Magazine. In the last-page column titled “Extra Value for Community Service,” attorney Gary Restaino reminds us all about a revised Arizona rule that is aimed to encourage pro bono work—and that could get you some CLE credit.
Here’s how Gary opens his essay:
“I suspect that if we made a list of lawyers who seek to give back to their communities, and a second list of lawyers who get some degree of agita from the State Bar’s continuing legal education requirements, lots of us would be on both lists. If you are among those counted twice, have I got a deal for you. Starting in January 2014, when providing legal assistance to the indigent through ‘approved legal services organizations,’ you can earn CLE for your pro bono service.”
“Supreme Court Rule 45, as amended, permits a lawyer to claim one hour of CLE for every five hours of pro bono service, up to a maximum of five self-study CLE hours per year. (This would get you halfway to the aspirational 50 hours of annual pro bono assistance.) Wholly apart from the personal satisfaction you can receive from representing those in need, you can save money on CLE videos and courses.”
Read Gary’s whole column here.
To make it easier for you to get started, I reprint here the column’s sidebar that points you to a few great agencies where you might offer your talents.
Offering Your Help
To enroll as a volunteer to provide general legal assistance, contact:
Community Legal Services (Maricopa, Mohave, LaPaz, Yavapai and Yuma Counties)
- VLP Director Pat Gerrich at pgerrich@clsaz.org or 602-254-4714
Southern Arizona Legal Aid (Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz Counties)
- VLP Director Michele Mirto at mmirto@sazlegalaid.org or 520-623-9465, ext. 4171
DNA-People’s Legal Services (Coconino County, Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe)
- Sylvia J Struss at sstruss@dnalegalservices.org
An image of Gary’s essay is below; click to enlarge.
AZ Attorney 