The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service recently released a webpage on judicial promotion of and participation in pro bono. See http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/judicial/home.html. The webpage highlights the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct and its rule 3.7, which gives explicit permission to judges to encourage and support pro bono. It also discusses state adoptions of this code, as well as other state judicial codes that include permissive language regarding judges promoting pro bono. Furthermore the page covers how judges can be involved on a local level, through participation in local pro bono committees. The page also provides information on state ethics opinions that address the issue of judicial encouragement of pro bono and whether court attorney employees can do pro bono.

In addition to rules, the webpage features pro bono programs that judges have set up within their courts, administrative accommodations that judges have implemented for attorneys who do pro bono, recognition events and recruitment techniques that judges employ to encourage pro bono participation, and resolutions and other policies that judges have passed to encourage pro bono. For inquiries related to this webpage and to submit content, please contact Jamie Hochman-Herz, Assistant Committee Counsel, at herzj@staff.abanet.org or 312 988-5748