FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, please contact:

Vince Morris, Director

Arkansas Pro Bono Partnership

501-975-3775 |

Arkansas Celebrates National Pro Bono Week October 2014

Even though National Pro Bono Week was officially October 19-25 this year, Arkansas legal aid and the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission partnered with law firms and private attorneys to celebrate pro bono all month long with seven outreach events that helped more than 250 low-income Arkansans.

"I'm thankful to the Arkansas Pro Bono Partnership for organizing community spaces to facilitate and promote access to justice," said Tabitha Lee, an attorney who volunteered at the UAMS Wills Clinic and the Expungement Clinic at Shorter College. "Seeing people from all walks of life come together to improve circumstances for everyone was a beautiful experience."

The pro bono outreach events included free legal help for veterans, cancer survivors at UAMS, and patient families at Arkansas Children's Hospital. With the help of 86 attorneys, 47 law students, and several notary volunteers, these Arkansans walked away with critical legal documents like simple wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney for healthcare and financial matters.

Legal aid also partnered with the W. Harold Flowers Law Society to host two Expungement Clinics in order to assist low-income Arkansans with sealing their criminal records.

Cory Childs, president of the W. Harold Flowers Law Society, said he enjoyed participating.

"It was very rewarding to fill a need that is so evident in our community," Childs said. "People's lives were changed on Friday, and I was glad to be a part of that change."

By providing an Expungement Clinic, the justice community sought to improve the lives of low-income Arkansans whose past criminal history could bar them from obtaining employment, securing housing, or qualifying for a loan for a car, home, or education.

The two Expungement Clinics helped close to 180 Arkansans, some of whom drove hours for the help.

For Arkansas Legal Services Partnership and Arkansas Pro Bono Partnership Director Vince Morris, pro bono month could be summed up like so: "In the aftermath of one of these high volume and intense pro bono events, I get to slow down and see the tired but satisfied looks in all the pro bono attorneys, law students, and other volunteers. It's like we've been on a journey together, and as journeys usually are, it was challenging, but you're left with the echo of those you met on the way. Some of the most memorable people I've ever met were clients at these events. Veterans, terminally-ill cancer patients, firefighters, sick children with worried parents — they all just needed someone to listen and help."

Project partners included Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Arkansas Children's Hospital, CAVHS Veterans Day Treatment Center, Central United Methodist Church, Friday Firm, Jefferson Center, Mitchell Williams Law Firm, Pulaski County Bar Association, Shorter College, Southern Bancorp Community Partners, Tyson Foods, UALR William H. Bowen School of Law, UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, W. Harold Flowers Law Society, and Walmart.

Legal aid has hosted similar events like this for seniors, first responders, and veterans, as a way of inviting justice community partners to serve their local communities and to celebrate National Pro Bono Week.

Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services are non-profit organizations that provide free legal services to low-income Arkansans with civil legal problems, including orders of protection for domestic abuse victims, uncontested guardianships of minors, consumer issues, and public housing. With 17 offices staffed by more than 50 attorneys throughout the state, plus a volunteer pool of more than 1,500 attorneys, legal aid services benefited close to 36,000 low-income people and the elderly with their critical legal needs in 2012. However, 724,850 people in Arkansas live at or below 125 percent of the poverty line, and thousands of those Arkansans in need were turned away due to lack of resources. Learn more at www.arlegalservices.org | www.arkansasjustice.org.

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