AppalReD Legal Aid serves 200,000 low-income individuals across 37 counties in eastern and south-central Kentucky. AppalRed Legal Aid seeks to assess and transform its pro bono program to better meet the urgent legal needs of its communities. With a recent change in leadership, a legal needs assessment underway, and a transition to a new case management system, the organization recognizes that now is the ideal time to examine its pro bono program's processes, policies, and procedures. The assessment will provide critical information and guidance for strategic growth, allowing the pro bono program to integrate fully into the overall structure of AppalReD Legal Aid, aligning processes across locations, and finding opportunities for collaboration in substantive areas such as family law, housing, consumer issues, and expungements. The organization envisions a future in which the pro bono program serves as a centralized hub, significantly increasing access to justice for low-income individuals in the region while being prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to the frequent natural disasters that impact the area. 

ALAS seeks to assess its pro bono program after a period of organizational changes. ALAS’ organizational changes include a new executive director, the implementation of a centralized intake system, and engagement in the strategic planning process. ALAS’ pro bono challenges include inconsistencies across offices, staffing changes, and adapting to the evolving pro bono landscape post-pandemic. ALAS envisions a client-centered, high-impact pro bono program fully integrated with the organization's mission and service delivery model. To achieve this vision, they plan to engage an experienced consultant working closely with key staff members to conduct a comprehensive assessment and provide recommendations for the pro bono program. 

CCLS seeks to assess and enhance its pro bono program to better serve its clients across a vast, largely rural service area. CCLS’ pro bono challenges include insufficient integration with core services, gaps in volunteer management, and the need to develop stronger community partnerships and client pipelines. The assessment will engage key staff, including the Executive Director, Director of Pro Bono, and Chief Program Officer, who will work closely with the consultant to provide necessary information, access, and support throughout the process. The ideal consultant will have experience with LSC-funded organizations, rural pro bono programs, volunteer management best practices, and designing evaluative processes aligned with organizational goals.

LOLLA seeks to modernize its pro bono program, which has remained essentially unchanged since its founding in 1972. Despite efforts to engage volunteers, many pro bono cases have declined in recent years. A recent peer consulting by the ABA Center for Pro Bono highlighted the program's deficits and provided recommendations for improvement. LOLLA plans to hire a Pro Bono Manager to lead the program's transformation efforts, standardize practices across regional offices, and foster a pro bono culture. LOLLA envisions a pro bono program that engages diverse volunteers, offers varied opportunities for meaningful legal assistance, and leverages technology to enhance efficiency. The Pro Bono Manager, regional coordinators, and Executive Director will work with a consultant to assess the program and develop a plan to create an internal pro bono culture and a successful pro bono transformation. 

LANC seeks to start its pro bono transformation by engaging an experienced consultant to complete a comprehensive assessment. LANC aims to address challenges, including insufficient integration of pro bono into its overall advocacy strategy and field offices. By engaging an external consultant, LANC seeks to gain fresh insights and develop a roadmap for building a modern, high-impact pro bono program that works hand in hand with staff advocates to meet clients' most pressing legal needs across the state. 

LAS KY seeks to transform its Volunteer Lawyer Program (VLP) to serve its clients better and engage the private bar. The VLP is decentralized, with various attorneys and paralegals managing different volunteer-based programs. LAS KY aims to assess its current pro bono framework and will engage a seasoned consultant to analyze pro bono staffing, internal culture, case placement, management processes, coordination, and communication barriers. The Planning Team, consisting of key internal staff, will work closely with the consultant to gather and analyze data through surveys, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one interviews. 

LASMTC envisions transforming its pro bono services to increase efficiency and impact, fully integrating them with the broader legal services across all eight offices. To achieve this vision, LASMTC will conduct a 6-month assessment focusing on staffing structures, integration of services, and technological enhancement to optimize pro bono legal service delivery. The assessment aims to evaluate and improve upon existing processes, aligning pro bono efforts more closely with the needs of both clients and volunteer attorneys. This endeavor will culminate in a strategic plan outlining actionable steps for enhancement based on identified needs and best practices.

NSLS seeks to modernize and enhance its pro bono program to better serve the legal needs of low-income residents in Nassau and Suffolk counties. With recent leadership changes, increased funding for eviction defense, and a shift in volunteer preferences towards limited representation opportunities, NSLS recognizes the need to reassess and redesign its pro bono efforts. Through a comprehensive planning process, NSLS aims to create a high-impact, community-based pro bono program that integrates with its staff efforts, provides training and support to volunteers, and expands services to a wider range of legal areas. NSLS will engage a consultant with experience working with poverty populations and non-profit organizations on Long Island to assist in obtaining, reviewing, and analyzing information to guide the planning process. 

Engage in a 6-month pro bono program assessment and business process analysis to transform its current pro bono program into one in which each clinic and service delivery system works in tandem with LSNV’s core services through coordinated referrals, clear and effective clinic frameworks, and creative partnerships to provide quality, holistic legal services to their clients. It includes a staff fully equipped to identify and refer pro bono cases, mentor volunteers, and engage in recruitment. LSNV believes that to properly serve the legal needs of its clients, LSNV staff and pro bono volunteers must be part of a fully integrated system that puts clients first by staying trauma-informed, culturally competent, and focused on combatting the systems of oppression. 

NLSLA’s vision is to transform its pro bono program into a modern, client-centered project that effectively engages volunteer partners, law firms, corporate law departments, and bar associations, allowing them to increase the number of clients served. To achieve this vision, by working with a consultant, NLSLA will undertake a 6-month analysis of its current program to see what’s working and what’s not and how pro bono works for each practice area. At the end of this process, the consultant will produce an assessment and roadmap to help NLSLA achieve realistic goals for the pro bono program. 

Engage in a 6-month pro bono program assessment to develop client-centered internal pro bono processes from intake to case closure; align pro bono and organizational priorities; identify service delivery models for meeting the developed priorities; identify the staffing needed to operate a client-centered and improved pro bono program; and develop strategies for volunteer recruitment, training, and mentoring. 

LAC proposes replicating and adapting Legal Services of Eastern Missouri's successful Neighborhood Advocacy Project. The Project will partner with three community-based organizations in Chicago neighborhoods to facilitate referrals of legal issues impacting members of those communities. LAC will vet the referrals, develop cases, and engage pro bono attorneys to provide the requested legal services. The goal is to prioritize equitable development, assist individual community members, and help revitalize neighborhoods through concentrated pro bono resources. Client services include title clearing, estate planning, property tax assistance, vacant property actions, and small business support. The Project aims to build trust within communities, equip neighborhoods with tools for inclusive growth, and create a model for community-driven pro bono advocacy. 

LAWV seeks to address the legal needs of grandparents and kinship caregivers raising children in West Virginia through the Solid Foundations Project. Building on the success of prior initiatives, LAWV will pilot a pro bono project in three offices, recruiting and training cohorts of volunteer attorneys to provide full representation in guardianship, adoption, and estate planning cases. By improving client screening, partnering with trusted community organizations for outreach, and offering volunteers skills-based training, immediate case placement, and ongoing mentorship, LAWV aims to serve more kinship families holistically. The project will engage large law firms and bar association groups to recruit 24-32 attorneys to assist 95-125 clients over the two-year grant period. Adapting elements of existing pro bono models, the Solid Foundations Project will create a replicable approach for engaging volunteers to meet the multi-faceted legal needs of kinship families in rural areas, strengthening families and communities across West Virginia. 

To address the overwhelming influx of vulnerable asylum seekers in Central Ohio lacking access to legal services, LASCO will launch the Home Safe Project to provide limited-scope asylum and work authorization assistance through clinics staffed by volunteer attorneys, law students, and paralegals. By collaborating with private law firms, corporate legal departments, local law schools, paralegal associations, and immigrant-serving community organizations, the Project aims to improve economic opportunities for asylum seekers while building capacity in the local legal community. Legal services will include asylum and employment authorization clinics and a pilot full representation program with the Moritz Immigration Clinic. The Project will ensure effective legal assistance by offering substantive training, mentorship, and toolkits to volunteers and a built-in application quality control review by Project staff. By adapting best practices from similar models and focusing on trust-building in immigrant communities, LASCO seeks to assist over 180 asylum applicants while developing a sustainable pro bono clinic model for future replication. 

LawNY seeks to expand its reentry program into rural counties in Upstate New York. The project aims to assist individuals with criminal records in obtaining record sealing, certificates of rehabilitation, and other legal services to improve their employment prospects. LawNY will collaborate with community organizations, recruit and train volunteers, and provide holistic legal assistance to clients. The project will adapt and expand its existing reentry pro bono project, adding two paralegals to increase outreach, community collaborations, and casework capacity. The goal is to recruit 75 volunteers and assist 170 rural residents in removing barriers to employment over the two-year grant period. 

The Clean Record Initiative, a project proposed by NNJLS and the Pro Bono Partnership Program, aims to address the lack of access to expungement services in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties in New Jersey. Despite recent expansions in expungement laws, only an estimated 6% of eligible individuals receive an expungement due to a lack of knowledge and access to the process. The Project will employ strategies such as community outreach, Know Your Rights presentations, and partnerships with organizations to ensure clients can access the proposed expungement clinics. Volunteer attorneys will provide full representation to clients throughout the expungement process, supported by training, technology, and subject matter expertise from key partners. The Project aims to increase community awareness about expungements, boost the number of expungement petitions granted, and reduce client wait times. Evaluation methods will include client and volunteer surveys, case data, eligibility data, and outcome data to measure the project's impact on increasing access to this life-changing legal service. 

CLA SoCal’s Project HOPE (Housing Opportunity and Pro Bono Exchange) leverages pro bono volunteers to reduce the number of evictions and judgments in Southeast Los Angeles (LA) County and Orange County, CA. Its goal is to help neighbors maintain stable housing through an innovative pro bono eviction defense model that focuses on answer clinics.  This program includes training, supervision, and mentorship to legal professionals with little housing law experience who want to offer solutions during these historic times. Through these clinics, at least 90% of the answers filed by CLA SoCal during the grant period will be completed by volunteers; the project will help 90% of Project HOPE clients avoid a default judgment.

KLS aims to provide legal assistance to Kansans with suspended driver’s licenses to get their licenses reinstated or to restricted status.  The project seeks to engage volunteer attorneys and legal interns by giving them free legal training and requesting a commitment to participate in time-limited clinics to meet with clients screened for eligibility. 

LANWT aims to close the gap for low-income Texans in the two largest counties in its service area, where individual arrest and conviction records that should be expunged or subject to nondisclosure orders instead limit opportunities for employment, housing, state licenses, and other benefits.  With the collaboration of the pro bono programs of the target area’s two significant bar associations, the project will recruit and train pro bono attorneys to represent clients in court to obtain expungement or nondisclosure orders.  The project seeks to recruit and train 200 pro bono attorneys and 100 law students to handle 600 extended service cases.

LASEV aims to expand its pro bono legal assistance program to address the eviction crisis in their service area by engaging volunteer attorneys via an Eviction Expungement Project to address tenants’ rental and credit histories, thereby reducing barriers to obtaining affordable housing.  The project seeks to engage volunteers through “docket days” in their local General District Courts to assist tenants with eviction expungements by providing them with holistic advice regarding their credit, identifying existing barriers for tenants, and developing additional solutions and referrals.  

LSV aims to increase its volunteer base and enhance the pro bono culture in Vermont by leveraging Vermont’s first-year attorney licensing requirement to bring newly licensed attorneys into LSV’s pro bono program. LSV will coordinate with the Vermont State Bar and the court’s attorney licensing office to promote pro bono engagement for newly licensed attorneys to gain admission to the Vermont Bar. LSV will expand its current pro bono offerings and trainings so first-year attorneys can meet the licensing requirement through LSV’s pro bono program.  LSV hopes to use the new program to expand its volunteer base, increase legal assistance to low-income Vermonters, and strengthen the state’s pro bono culture.

MILS aims to develop a system for collaborating with experienced private attorneys to develop self-help and educational materials that address the unique legal needs of low-income Native Americans and facilitate replication of the project’s effective aspects.  The project will initially ask volunteers to develop legal resources related to the state and federal child welfare system.  It will then build internal infrastructure, test different practices through feedback, and create a Toolkit for replication.  As part of the evaluation, MILS will partner with Board Member and Wayne State Professor of Law Kirsten Matoy Carlson to develop, pilot, and evaluate the use of measures of impacts and outcomes informed by a relational theory of legal effectiveness. 

PTLA aims to improve housing stability for low-income Mainers with pro bono attorneys. The project seeks to continue the work of PTLA’s Transformation grant pilot by recruiting volunteers from large and medium-sized law firms in Portland to provide full legal representation to southern Maine tenants at risk of losing their housing through eviction. 

PSLS aims to increase access to criminal records relief for low-income clients who experience barriers to employment, housing, and financial stability due to a past criminal record.  The project seeks to engage law firm attorneys, corporate legal departments, and non-attorney volunteers through specific volunteer opportunities at all stages of the criminal records relief process under the mentorship and guidance of our staff. 

SLLS’ Baton Rouge City Court Eviction Defense Project will help close a justice gap for low-income tenants facing eviction through an on-demand and onsite court-based model.  The project will engage volunteer attorneys from Southern University Law Center alumni, the Martinet Society of Greater Baton Rouge, and the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Project to provide same-day, limited representation in eviction proceedings delivered under the supervision of SLLS’ project attorney.

LAFLA aims to assist justice-involved veterans with obtaining self-sufficiency and stability through the Veterans of Color Advocacy Project (VOCAP). The VOCAP will remove barriers associated with having a criminal record and, through such service, further engage veterans to address longer-term legal matters such as veterans benefits claims and discharge upgrades. The project will also incorporate volunteer attorneys, paralegal students, and law students through limited scope opportunities at all stages of a criminal record clearing case, from record evaluation and document preparation to hearing. Working with volunteers in this manner will free up staff resources to assist veterans with the additional legal needs they are better equipped to handle. 

NLS aims to create an access point to our services for low-income clients in a community who would otherwise go unserved by engaging pro bono attorneys directly in the school setting at the Myrtle Tate Elementary School in Las Vegas. The project seeks to engage attorneys from large firms and corporate legal departments in the Las Vegas Valley weekly to advise parents of school children on various legal topics, including income and housing insecurity, dangerous or unhealthy living conditions, and custody instability.

NLA aims to increase pro bono representation to low-income tenants facing eviction for non-payment of rent under recent and favorable housing policies in Massachusetts. The project seeks to engage Boston-based large law firm attorneys and local counsel through limited assistance representation of tenants during non-payment of rent eviction actions. Assistance includes drafting initial pleadings, accessing rental assistance, mediation, and court representation.  

LAC intends to engage pro bono attorneys to expand legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction, focusing on the suburbs. Volunteers will have two types of opportunities. One will focus on advice and short-term representation, such as settlement assistance, and the other will focus on extended representation to contested hearings and trials. The volunteers will receive administrative and substantive legal support from a dedicated paralegal and attorney. LAC housing law specialists will create e-learning modules and other materials to ensure volunteers have the knowledge and tools they need to represent clients successfully.

NLSA will continue to work with the community-wide Evictions and Affordable Housing Workgroup. It will center its efforts on research and relationships with pro bono stakeholders and housing advocates to develop a strategic vision for NLS's eviction prevention pro bono program. It will also develop the necessary pro bono infrastructure and support systems for intake, referral, and case placement to establish a replicable pro bono program designed to prevent evictions and homelessness. The project will also adopt appropriate best practices to develop volunteer support resources, training (in-person and online), video tutorials, intake and case referral, reporting, mentoring, and volunteer recognition.

CRLA established the Central Coast Rural Reentry Project in 2022 through a PBIF Project Grant and other funding to provide post-conviction relief services in five counties. Working with pro bono attorneys, CRLA's advocates prepare petitions to dismiss criminal convictions for eligible clients. In the first 18 months, the project has recruited 141 volunteers, created training materials, established an advisory committee, and increased the percentages of BIPOC and veteran clients receiving expungement services. Volunteer attorneys have allowed project staff to close more cases in less time and provide higher levels of service. During the Sustainability grant term, CRLA plans to maintain services, expand pro bono partnerships, and refine its volunteer engagement model. 

The Justice in Schools Project (JSP) is a collaborative effort between LOLLA, East St. Louis District 189 (District 189), and volunteers to address the civil legal needs of families in the greater East St. Louis area. JSP aims to increase the number of cases handled by volunteers by developing partnerships with District 189 schools, educating school staff and families on legal issues and rights, supporting volunteers, and assisting families with legal issues impacting their safety and stability. JSP created a new access point for free legal help in the community, with LOLLA establishing a presence in schools for direct referrals, a confidential hotline, and community events to provide a full range of legal services. 

The Consumer Debt Defense (CDD) project, launched by LAW through a 2022 PBIF Project Grant, has significantly enhanced the organization's capacity to provide legal representation to individuals facing debt-collection lawsuits. Since its inception, the project has achieved notable successes, including reducing debt claims, sealing cases from public records, and securing statutory attorney fees. LAW plans to enhance and broaden its pro bono services during its Sustainability Grant term by improving internal automation systems, scaling up court-based clinic operations, and extending successful practices beyond Milwaukee. CDD will continue challenging debt buyer collection actions through its Brief Legal Service clinic and establish a Lawyer For A Day component. Several aspects of CDD, including its subject matter focus and establishing a Judicial Training Series, are considered replicable.

LASC created the Lawyers Advocating for Safe Housing (LASH) project in 2022 with a PBIF grant to engage volunteers in addressing unsafe living conditions faced by tenants. LASH has recruited and trained 192 volunteer attorneys who have provided advice, brief service, or extended representation to 272 clients in 276 housing cases. LASH has provided legal services to clients with housing-related issues through a multi-faceted approach, including extended representation, pro se assistance, in-person and virtual advice clinics, and community education. With a Sustainability Grant, LASH aims to maintain its current services while expanding to serve more rural clients, provide legal assistance to those living with unsafe lead levels, and engage an evaluator to assess the project's effectiveness and provide recommendations for improvement and long-term sustainability.

MAP launched the Legal Navigator Project (LNP) to increase access to criminal record expungement and build pro bono expungement case capacity. The Project incorporates non-attorney, trained volunteers called Legal Navigators to guide clients through the complex steps involved in expungement applications, reducing barriers to basic needs and leading to better housing, employment, and educational outcomes. By leveraging these volunteers, MAP maximizes the impact of staff and volunteer attorneys, offering solutions to the limited capacity of legal aid services. Over the past 18 months, MAP has trained 51 Navigators who have assisted over 190 clients in the expungement process, reducing the need for client contact by MAP staff during the document-gathering phase and allowing the Project Attorney to focus on supporting volunteer attorneys and identifying systemic issues related to expungement.

LAS KY aims to build a robust and sustainable pro bono culture in Louisville and among its local bar by creating the Justice Corps. The Justice Corps will serve as a single entry point for attorneys to enroll and engage in volunteer services and leverage the expertise and resources of the Legal Aid Society and their program partner, The Louisville Bar Association. The Justice Corps will expand its recruitment reach, create quality training content, better connect volunteers to community needs, and run pro bono service programs (like clinics or regular service days).

LSNYC seeks to sustain its 2021 PBIF public benefits project.  It is on track to exceed its project milestones of engaging hundreds of volunteer attorneys to assist low-income New Yorkers with securing essential public benefits for housing and food.  The project has made public benefits an integral part of pro bono programming for LSNYC and has nationally promoted the integration of public benefits work in legal aid pro bono.  In the first eighteen months of LSNYC’s public benefits pro bono project, it has achieved the following results: (1) opened more than 300 pro bono cases benefitting more than 500 people; (2) secured approximately $700,000 in financial relief for clients; (3) engaged more than 500 volunteers from over 30 law firms and corporations; and (4) created a “start-up kit” for other legal aid organizations seeking to emulate LSNYC’s approach. 

CLASI seeks to sustain and expand its 2019 PBIF Project Grant that created the Clarence Darrow Court Clinic (CDCC), which has achieved its overall goal of decreasing the number of unrepresented and unprepared defendants in housing and consumer cases and increasing the amount of pro bono participation throughout Trumbull County, Ohio (Trumbull). The CDCC is a judicially-led pro bono legal clinic executed through a partnership between CLASI, Trumbull County’s seven courts, and the Trumbull County Bar Association. The model’s key features include the development of a supportive relationship with the judiciary; judicially-led mobilization of pro bono attorneys; clinics strategically scheduled to reach low-income Trumbull residents; creation of a multi-disciplinary advisory council; and seamless integration into and modeling around CLASI’s Volunteer Legal Services Program. The sustainability phase of this project will use the same financial and staff resources to maintain and refine the CDCC in Trumbull County while expanding and replicating the model in neighboring Mahoning County.  

LAC seeks to sustain its 2020 PBIF Project Grant, which is on track to meet its primary goals of handling 300 juvenile expungement cases and recruiting 50 volunteers. In the first sixteen months of the Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Project, it has achieved the following results: providing services in more than 160 expungement cases with a 100% success rate for the 73 cases that have gone to disposition and another 60 cases still pending; recruiting 38 pro bono attorneys, 22 of which have handled cases; and creating e-learning modules for both the juvenile expungement and the school discipline aspects of the project. 

SLLS seeks to sustain its 2020 Pro Bono Security Deposit Theft Project, which is on track to close a long-standing justice gap for vulnerable tenants through a cadre of volunteers. SLLS will increase its capacity to deliver critical services to struggling tenants impacted by COVID and Hurricane Ida through additional pro bono attorneys, a corporate legal department, law students, and undergraduates. Volunteers will provide representation in limited scope and/or extended services matters at all stages of a security deposit theft case from demand, negotiation, court representation, and collection. SLLS plans to modify the demand stage to add an advice clinic to volunteer attorney participation and the number of clients served. 

LAW intends to expand its Student Legal Aid Project, which works with pro bono attorneys, law students, and paralegal students to improve low-income technical college students' education and employment outcomes. Pro Bono attorneys represent students at unemployment, expungement, drivers' license, and bankruptcy hearings. This project has successfully launched virtual, in-person, and hybrid pro bono clinics.

LANWT will support an existing project that assists low-income individuals with driver's license restoration and helps eliminate underlying barriers to obtaining state IDs. Having the correct form of identification allows individuals to obtain employment, pursue educational opportunities, and take care of their families. The project partners with three law schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to train law students to handle various cases under the direction of a law professor or project attorney.

LSNYC will continue providing legal representation to low-income tenants seeking essential housing repairs. In 2019, the organization developed a study group approach to place housing cases with volunteers from large law firms and corporations. Pro bono volunteers took on 95 cases that benefited 193 individuals, including 52 children, within the first 21 months of the project. The additional funding will allow Legal Services NYC to partner with at least 250 pro bono volunteers to litigate an additional 150 housing cases. They will also enhance eviction prevention work and explore new approaches to serving more clients through limited-scope clinics.

LSEM will expand and replicate its Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative (NVI). NVI provides focused legal assistance to disadvantaged neighborhoods in St. Louis to transform vacant properties into safe and affordable housing. By creating partnerships between law firms and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, the project helps community groups and residents to address some of the biggest challenges: disinvestment, displacement, and vacancy. NVI partners with pro bono attorneys to provide assistance, including litigation, to compel owners of vacant, run-down properties to make repairs, sell, or find alternative resolutions. Pro Bono attorneys help with vacancy prevention and title clearance. They also assist low-income homeowners in accessing home repair funding. 

NLSP DC will expand the Housing Cooperative Preservation Initiative (HCPI) with its subgrantee University Legal Services (ULS). The project uniquely integrates high-quality, interdisciplinary legal and asset management services to low equity housing cooperatives (LECs) in Washington, D.C. Volunteers are experts and leaders in specialized practice areas and offer transactional legal services to LECs. HCPI identifies the potentially costly legal matters that LCEs face, which requires specific legal expertise, then supports pro bono volunteers in collaborative engagements that benefit the LCEs and hundreds of affordable housing units and households throughout the District. The additional funding will allow NLSP to double the number of volunteers recruited and increase the number of LECs represented by 30 percent. NLSP will also identify efficiencies in its case referral and representation process, including best practices to make HCPI a replicable model for other jurisdictions.

CVLAS commits to reshaping its pro bono program into a cohesive, client-centered program that is integrated into its core advocacy and legal service delivery model. Through an assessment led by an external evaluator, CVLAS will identify the program's strengths and weaknesses and devise strategies to enhance the client and volunteer experience from intake to referral, support, and quality control. The assessment will focus on internal structures. The revamped pro bono efforts will seamlessly integrate into CVLAS' reorganized structure, ensuring clients receive a consistent experience comparable to those served by internal practice area advocates. 

LSNV was awarded a 2023 PBIF Planning Grant to assess its pro bono program. The consultant, ThredPartners, identified several challenges, including communication gaps, redundant tools and processes, lack of resources, and coordination between staff and pro bono attorneys. A Transformation Grant will remedy these challenges by funding a Deputy Managing Attorney to maintain existing clinics and trainings, freeing the Managing Attorney to implement assessment recommendations. Short-term goals include updating the pro bono handbook and materials to set policies and procedures, collecting client feedback to improve data tracking, and utilizing LegalServer training to leverage its capabilities. An "open enrollment" pilot clinic will test new recruitment, training materials, data collection, and expanded volunteer opportunities.

NLSA seeks to transform its pro bono program to create a more uniform, sustainable, coordinated, and integrated infrastructure. Historically, NLSA operated about 12 pro bono projects with inconsistent organization, tracking, and reporting. In 2021, NLSA hired a full-time Pro Bono Manager who examined the systems and developed resources to support volunteers. The new Pro Bono Unit, including a Pro Bono Manager and Coordinator, now runs two pilot projects testing innovations and is preparing to make all existing projects more uniform agency-wide. NLSA aims to strategically use technology to create an efficient, high-quality infrastructure for volunteers and clients. The major challenges are low volunteerism in rural counties, inconsistent internal practices, and revisiting each project structure under the new management.  The vision includes regular pro bono activities and a consistent presence program-wide. 

WTLS is embarking on a transformative journey to modernize and enhance its pro bono program, guided by the findings of a recent planning assessment. With the support of a PBIF Grant, WTLS aims to address key challenges, such as inadequate staffing, lack of integration, and insufficient volunteer support. The organization will focus on building a strong internal foundation and fostering a pro bono culture by hiring dedicated staff, integrating pro bono into core practice areas, developing clear priorities and protocols, and improving volunteer engagement. WTLS will also pilot a high-impact expungement clinic to address the region's urgent need for re-entry legal services. Led by a committed Team and with the unwavering support of its Executive Director, WTLS is poised to create a client-centered, highly integrated pro bono program that engages diverse volunteers and better serves the legal needs of its expanding community. 

CALS’ vision for pro bono is a high-impact, client-centered program that is fully integrated, innovative and impactful in the CALS’ legal services delivery model. This initiative will vitalize CALS’ program by better engaging and involving the broad sectors of Arkansas’ legal profession in direct services with clients’ high-priority legal needs in a culturally competent manner. To work towards this vision, CALS will conduct a rigorous assessment and hire a new Pro Bono Subject Area Manager position to lead a new Pro Bono Working Group comprised of senior staff and involving pro bono staff, subject area managers, and community education/outreach leadership. The new Pro Bono Subject Area Manager will create a criminal record sealing clinic using the assessment learnings. 

LAWM envisions a transformed pro bono program that 1) integrates throughout LAWM’s field offices and with their direct-services advocates, 2) expands their volunteer corps, 3) innovates with new service models, and 4) maximizes technology tools. With a comprehensive program assessment, LAWM will implement program-management structure, process and workflow improvements, and launch a pilot project to promote homeownership in client communities.

LSNF’s vision for pro bono transformation is a restructured program integrated across its 16-county program that will increase the number of clients served and the level of legal assistance volunteers provide in its community. LSNF also envisions an innovative recruitment program paired with recognition of volunteers that inspires further service. To work towards this vision, LSNF will conduct a rigorous assessment and, using the assessment findings, integrate the Pro Bono program into the entire organization; improve and institute effective pro bono reporting systems; and create and implement thoughtful recruitment and recognition practices. The organization will test these new approaches in an Estate Planning pro bono pilot.

ALSC’s vision for pro bono is a cohesive pro bono unit integrated into ALSC’s day-to-day operations across offices and thereby directly into the communities they serve. ALSC’s advocate and traditional pro bono programs operate wholly outside each other, and their pro bono department is separate and apart from other operations. ALSC will merge its community advocate and pro bono programs. They will integrate pro bono into every day operations across all offices, allowing them a new level of access to rural communities. An in-depth evaluation of current processes will provide a plan for merging programs, integrating services, and future strategic and staffing plans.

ICLS envisions a modern pro bono program that: (1) engages technology and a diverse range of pro bono volunteers to narrow the justice gap; (2) serves a substantial number of clients who would otherwise be turned away; and (3) is deeply integrated across the organization’s core practice areas. ICLS faces several challenges to this vision: the local bar rarely takes pro bono matters; larger law firms are an hour outside of ICLS’s catchment area, and most staff at the organization have limited experience with pro bono. This grant will allow ICLS to thoroughly assess both barriers and opportunities and provide the resources to pursue strategies to achieve its vision for an effective pro bono program.

LSVI seeks funding for a Transformation Grant to re-imagine the provision of pro bono services provided by private attorneys in the Virgin Islands to LSVI-eligible clients. Through the collaborative partnerships with the VI Bar Association, and the VI Courts, LSVI will develop creative opportunities to engage private attorneys to take cases by incentivizing them to learn a new practice area of law while earning CLE credit. LSVI seeks to leverage and maximize the use of its newly implemented Legal Server Case Management System to make it seamlessly convenient for volunteer attorneys and the LSVI Project Staff to manage and report case status easily. LSVI seeks to create a pro bono culture and increase the pro bono attorney panel/corps to 15% of the active VI bar members to take at least two pro bono cases per year. LSVI intends to use the lessons from its prior model of the Tenant’s Rights (Eviction Defense) Clinic to inform its transformation effort. 

LASP will engage in a rigorous assessment of the current pro bono program and identify successful pro bono projects to replicate. LASP's vision is to integrate pro bono into key internal operations, such as intake and case assignment, and improve the overall program with effective volunteer trainings and resources. The transformation efforts will strengthen collaborations with law schools, law firms, and corporate legal departments, engaging volunteers in critical pro bono work, including eviction defense, protection from abuse, and clearing criminal records.

LABG intends to develop new systems for communicating with and supporting volunteers, including high-touch mentorship by LABG attorneys and a full suite of electronic resources. An early focus will be on piloting a program to secure pro bono representation in eviction cases. The eviction project would encourage pro bono attorneys to volunteer for regular eviction docket dates and provide extended representation to individuals facing eviction.

LAWV involves integrating pro bono delivery across its offices, developing pro bono leadership projects, and effectively engaging technology. LAWV managers and a new Pro Bono Supervising Attorney will lead efforts to develop recommendations for change and create the team to increase internal collaboration and assist with the program's transition to a new case management system.