When lawyers are asked about what pro bono service means, they usually respond that pro bono is about representing low-income families on housing and family law matters.  While it is true that the greatest need for lawyers in pro bono is for lawyers to use their law license to help a restore order to a chaotic situation, lawyers can contribute in other valuable ways.  Natalie Catalano, a lawyer with TrialGraphix in Atlanta, shows the way.

Georgia Legal Services Program and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society were presented with an opportunity for free advertising to promote pro bono and to help market their new statewide pro bono web site, www.GeorgiaAdvocates.org .    The two nonprofit law firms had to find a way to create print and online versions of advertisements and logos to hand over to the publishing company that offered the free advertising space.  In one of those rare coincidences, Natalie Catalano, a lawyer with the Atlanta office of TrialGraphix, called the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Project asking how she might get involved in the pro bono community.  Trial Graphix is specializes in exhibits, technologies, and trial consulting for mediation, arbitration, and trial.

In response to a request for assistance with the pro bono marketing materials, Natalie and TrialGraphix quickly provided Georgia Legal Services Program and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society with several high-quality advertisements in appropriate formats for print and online posting.  The two legal aid programs will benefit greatly from TrialGraphix’s pro bono contribution.  The advertisements will be very helpful to these programs’ efforts to improve the reach of their pro bono efforts.


When you think about volunteering your time and talents, you should also consider the business and financial needs of legal aid and pro bono programs.  As in the case of TrialGraphix’s contribution, you may hold the key to solving a key service delivery issue.