Being a lawyer is not merely a vocation. It is a public trust, and each of us has an obligation to give back to our communities.
The Mission of the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation (GRBF) is to expand access to Justice by mobilizing, training, and connecting attorneys to pro bono clients. We help attorneys do pro bono. In Central Virginia, GRBF works with Legal Aid organizations, local government agencies, and community organizations to assess needs for pro bono services and then connects lawyers to these opportunities to serve.
We believe that Access to Justice should not depend on income, and a just legal system produces outcomes based on the law and equity, not personal wealth. Our Vision is for all Virginia attorneys to commit to pro bono service.
- Similar Virginia studies in 1991 and 2007 found that 80 percent of the legal problems of low-income Virginians received no help from an attorney.
- A study of Virginia court data released in 2018 found that only one percent of cases in General District Court have an attorney on both sides.
- Only the plaintiff has a lawyer in 54% of cases.
Rule 6.1 of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct states,
“(a) A lawyer should render at least two percent per year of the lawyer’s professional time to pro bono publico legal services. Pro bono publico services include poverty law, civil rights law, public interest law, and volunteer activities designed to increase the availability of pro bono legal services.
(b) A law firm or other group of lawyers may satisfy their responsibility collectively under this Rule.
(c) Direct financial support of programs that provide direct delivery of legal services to meet the needs described in (a) above is an alternative method for fulfilling a lawyer’s responsibility under this Rule.
Rule 6.1 comments:
[1] Every lawyer, regardless of professional prominence or professional work load, has a personal responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay, and personal involvement in the problems of the disadvantaged can be one of the most rewarding experiences in the life of a lawyer. …
Formed in 1978 to serve as a fund for judicial portraits, GRBF has steadily evolved, shifting focus in the early 2000s to provide free legal services to nonprofit organizations and encourage participation in pro bono service work. The work of the Foundation is made possible through the generous support of our donors, the hard work of our volunteers, and our dedicated Board of Directors. Through various programs and collaborations, GRBF’s Vision is to bridge the Justice Gap by increasing pro bono participation to 100% of licensed attorneys in the Commonwealth of Virginia.