Library

View by: Folder | Topic

Folder: Main Menu > Judicial Support for Pro Bono

GEORGIA JUDGES SUPPORTING PRO BONO

A Message from Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, Supreme Court of Georgia:

Former United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black once said that “there can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.” In any given year, nearly 40% of Georgia’s middle and lower income citizens have at least one civil legal need, but only one in every ten is able to secure legal representation. This means that 90% of our most vulnerable citizens have no one to represent them as they address some of the most important issues of their lives, such as the termination of their parental rights and access to affordable housing and medical benefits.

Georgia has a wonderful array of lawyers and other legal professionals who regularly donate their time and money to those in need of legal services. I cannot tell you how grateful and proud I am of their generosity. They provide millions of dollars worth of pro bono legal services each year.

I urge you, my fellow judges, to consider how you might incorporate into your policies and procedures ways to support and recognize lawyers in your community who represent clients on a pro bono basis and to begin exploring ways to enhance coordinated pro bono programs in your jurisdictions. For example, you may wish to place pro bono matters at the top of your calendars in order to make it easier for volunteer attorneys to also include paying work into their schedules; or, you might consider accepting invitations to programs honoring lawyer volunteerism. These are just two concrete examples of ways in which we can support pro bono service while also promoting the efficient operation of our courts.

I encourage you to do whatever you can to support this endeavor!

                                      -- Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears
                                           Supreme Court of Georgia

   Read Georgia Pro Bono Publico Rule 6.1

   Review the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct