This year has brought many personal, professional, and financial challenges to both our supporters and clients. During this time of tremendous need due to the pandemic, a special note of appreciation to our top volunteers.
Read MoreOpportunities to Volunteer
A financial donation is not the only way to give this Giving Tuesday. Consider donating your time and legal knowledge by volunteering with The Pro Bono Project. Register as a volunteer using our online registration portal and contact Director of Legal Services Jesse S. George at 504-581-4043 x 211 to find out more about volunteering.
Read MoreThanksgiving - A Time to Reflect
Thanksgiving is a time to pause and be grateful. The Pro Bono Project is deeply appreciative of all our volunteers, supporters, and funders. Without you, we would be unable to provide legal services and access to justice to the most vulnerable in our community.
Read MoreNational Celebration of Pro Bono
The National Celebration of Pro Bono is held the last week of October each year. This year we are joining the American Bar Association in their virtual celebrations of pro bono volunteers.
Read MoreVolunteer Appreciation Awards
Every year, The Pro Bono Project honors lawyers, law firms, students, businesses, and members of the judiciary who have provided, improved, and excelled in the delivery of volunteer legal services. These services are of critical importance to the increasing number of people in our area. We host our annual Volunteer Appreciations Event to show our deep appreciation for those who support our mission to improve access to justice in our community. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will host our Volunteer Appreciation Event virtually during the 2020 National Celebration of Pro Bono (October 25-31).
We wish to thank all our volunteers for all the hard work the put into helping the community, especially in such a chaotic year. We could not help all the community members that we do without their support, time, and effort. www.probono-no.org
Read MoreVolunteers Needed to Assist Those Facing Evicion
The Pro Bono Project is proud to partner with @SLLS to address the urgent legal needs of tenants facing evictions in our community. To that end, we are recruiting volunteers who are interested in providing brief legal advice to these clients so that they are prepared for the challenges they face in eviction proceedings. Volunteers will interact with clients on a virtual basis, providing legal information and advice. Volunteers will sign up for available shifts on Tuesday afternoons to contact clients. Training and mentorship available to volunteers.
If you are interested in assisting with the provision of this service, please sign up at: https://conta.cc/2SwuDip or contact Director of Legal Services, Jesse George at jgeorge@probono-no.org , to find out how to get involved.
Read MoreThe Spirit of Justice - A Virtual Celebration
Although we will not hold our Annual Justice For All Ball at Mardi Gras World this year, The Pro Bono Project will host a two-week virtual celebration beginning on September 25, 2020.
“The Spirit of Justice” will highlight the role of our volunteers, staff, and clients. It will feature a silent auction with domestic and foreign trips, food and cocktail recipes of your Justice For All Ball favorites, and much more.
In this period of tremendous need, The Pro Bono Project asks that you consider donating your time, talent, or resources. From spreading the word and promoting our services to volunteering or pledging your support, join us in our efforts to ensure equal access to justice.
Read MoreIn Memory of Katrina - Fifteen Years Later
Fifteen years after Katrina, Southeast Louisiana is struggling with challenges both new and old. In commemoration of this anniversary, we pay tribute to the many people who came to the aid of The Pro Bono Project in the days after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of our beloved City.
We recount some of the many stories from the moment when we realized that both our clients and our volunteers were spread across the country, as was our entire population, right up until the present day.
http://probono-no.org/hurricane-katrina-retrospective
Read More32nd Annual Justice For All Ball is Cancelled
The Pro Bono Project has made the difficult decision to cancel our annual fundraiser, the Justice For All Ball scheduled for Friday, September 25, 2020. Our Board of Directors and staff know this is the right decision given the ongoing public health impact of the pandemic. The safety of our staff, volunteers, and attendees is our priority.
For thirty-two years the Justice For All Ball has been the premier social event in the legal community, drawing hundreds of lawyers, judges, and private citizens together for an evening of fine food, spirits, and live music. It is a celebration of what makes our community strong and unique – our creativity, civic pride, and resilience.
Read MoreMessage from the Executive Director
The Pro Bono Project joins legal aid programs around the country in considering the impact of COVID-19 on how we deliver legal services to our communities while keeping ourselves and clients safe. We have made safety a priority by choosing to meet remotely whenever possible. We continue to accept applications for legal services and are placing cases with our volunteers. The Project developed an expansive COVID-19 resource page, a self-help desk hotline for self-represented litigants to call and email, and online webinars and tutorials for clients and volunteers. These resources provide useful information to practitioners as well as the public.
The Pro Bono Project encourages those who have the time and inclination to continue to volunteer with us. As Louisiana continues to deal with the pandemic, the need for free civil legal aid grows. Your support helps thousands of under-served residents build safer, healthier, and more stable lives.
Read MoreTraining Volunteers on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
On July 17th, The Pro Bono Project, in partnership with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, hosted an online CLE - Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Representing Juvenile Immigrants. Over forty people attended this three-hour virtual training that offered substantive information on representing children as they make their way through state juvenile court.
Read MoreThe Project Expands Its Online Videos and Tutorials
Prior to the pandemic, The Pro Bono Project hosted many community clinics – from consumer debt and bankruptcy to successions and elder law. Due to the pandemic, The Pro Bono Project has created a series of online videos and tutorials to help assist the public with information and resources. Check out our offerings on The Pro Bono Project’s You Tube Channel.
Read MoreBankruptcy Self Help Resource Center Opens on August 7, 2020
On Friday, August 7, 2020, The Pro Bono Project, in partnership with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court - EDLA, will launch the Bankruptcy Self-Help Resource Center, a service of whereby self-represented bankruptcy filers can find helpful information and services about their bankruptcy cases. On the first Friday of each month from 9 a.m. until 12 noon, volunteers will be available via a telephone hotline (504.581.4043) and email to assist self-represented litigants with the completion of bankruptcy petitions and schedules, to help guide filers through the court’s new Electronic Self-Representation (eSR) system, and to provide referrals for attorneys or other legal resources.
“We are building upon the successful model of self-help resource centers at the state court level and applying what we learned there to federal bankruptcy court. Pre-pandemic, The Project witnessed many self-represented litigants struggle to navigate their way through consumer debt and bankruptcy issues. The pandemic’s economic consequences only will increase the need by the public for clear and concise information on how to tackle their financial struggles. We are thrilled to work with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Judges and Clerk of Court along with the bankruptcy bar to provide the public greater understanding of the bankruptcy process,” remarks The Pro Bono Project’s Executive Director, C.C. Kahr.
Volunteers do not provide legal advice or representation, but assist visitors with legal forms, information, and referrals. This service is made possible through a generous grant of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation.
If you are interested in volunteering for this service, please contact Managing Attorney Jesse George. We ask that volunteers have some familiarity with bankruptcy law.
Meet our 2020 Summer Gillis Long Interns
For over thirty years, the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University College of Law provides law students the opportunity to serve the greater good while supplementing their coursework with real world legal research and practice. Each summer, The Project welcomes interns who gain invaluable legal experience and skills while assisting us in our mission to provide free civil legal aid to under-served members of our community.
This summer, the pandemic has not slowed our interns down. Working with our staff, clients, and volunteers, Maria Frischling and Carlos Torres bring enthusiasm, energy, and a commitment to meeting today’s challenging times.
Read MorePro Bono Publico – For the Public Good
The Pro Bono Project’s mission is to provide free, quality civil legal services to the under-served members of our community. By engaging volunteer attorneys, paralegals, law students, and private citizens to render pro bono services, The Pro Bono Project serves clients who otherwise might not have access to the civil legal help they need. Our work today is as important as any time in our thirty-four year history.
The Pro Bono Project is appalled by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks. These terrible losses along with other victims of prejudice, brutality, and hate are unacceptable in this country. We grieve these losses, the violence against peaceful protesters, and the inequities experienced day after day.
The Pro Bono Project reaffirms its commitment to provide civil legal justice through volunteer assistance. Through our work, we can effect change and bring about social justice and equitable legal representation. We demand that we do better and strongly encourage the legal community to join us in ensuring equal justice.
Read More2020 Give NOLA Day
Thank you to our friends, families, and colleagues for supporting The Pro Bono Project on #GiveNOLADay! We doubled our goal and recruited more than 100 donors. 🥳
Read MoreThe "Intake Process" at The Pro Bono Project - How to Apply for Legal Aid
Our Intake Coordinator gives a brief tutorial on the application process, eligibility requirements and legal resources available to the local communities we serve.
Giving Tuesday Now!
Today is #GivingTuesdayNow. Consider donating your time, talent, or resources to The Pro Bono Project. Help us fulfill our mission to provide free civil legal aid to under-served members of our community.
Read MorePro Bono Project Volunteer Opportunities
The Project is currently open and working virtually to address ongoing civil legal needs in the community. For volunteers interested in assisting the organization, we are seeking assistance with returning calls on a variety of legal issues, assisting callers who are representing themselves at Orleans and Jefferson Parish District Courts, and develop quick 3-5 minute legal presentations to share with the public.
Read MoreAccessing the Self-Help Resource Centers
Managing Attorneys Kathleen Legendre and Jesse George discuss the Self-Help Resource Centers at the 24th Judicial District Court and Orleans Civil District Court. Self-Help Resource Centers provide legal information, resources, and court approved forms for self-represented litigants. To access additional information on this service, please go to The Pro Bono Project’s Self Help Resource Center web page. The Pro Bono Project operates these Centers on behalf of the courts.
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