Lawyers on Loan provides NLSA with assistance and attorneys with trial experience
By Tracy Carbasho
For The Lawyers Journal
Jan. 19. 2007—Local law firms hold the key to determining whether the Lawyers on Loan (LoL) program becomes a thing of the past or thrives well into the future.
Although the program has been one of the most unique and beneficial that has ever been established, we do not know if it will continue,” said Jeffrey Heeter, founding member of the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership. “We recognize that it is asking a lot of law firms to make such a commitment, but we think they receive back as much or more than they give when they donate a lawyer to the Neighborhood Legal Services Association.”
Heeter said the partnership has been working with NLSA to recruit new firms to participate in the LoL program. However, as of late December, there were no firms on board to continue the program into the new year.
The LoL program was launched in October 2004 by NLSA with support from Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote and Thorp Reed & Armstrong. Each firm continued to pay the regular salary to an associate who worked at NLSA on a full-time basis in 2005. Reed Smith provided two associates, who each worked at NLSA for six months, throughout 2006.
NLSA Executive Director Bob Racunas hopes another law firm will step forward to perpetuate the program. He noted that one firm has expressed interest, but will not be able to participate until 2008.
“The associates who have participated in the program have been a tremendous help,” said Racunas.
Barbara Kern, a managing attorney at NLSA, also serves as the association’s representative on the administrative board for the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership. She said the LoL project has been the most successful pro bono program the association has ever had.
“The four attorneys who have worked here all had a good rapport with our staff. In effect, we had another staff attorney on board while they were here,” she said. “We’re hoping to set up a five or seven-year rotation so that we’d have at least five or seven firms participating on a rotating basis.”
Heeter said there are many reasons why the program is important and should be continued. The most obvious reason is the manner in which the associates enable NLSA to help more clients at a time when the association has suffered substantial funding cuts and a subsequent reduction in staff.
“This program is cutting-edge relative to what is being done anywhere else in the country. As such, I believe the Allegheny County bar plays a leadership role with respect to developing new and creative ways to meet pro bono legal service needs,” said Heeter. “This program is a perfect illustration of the unique Western Pennsylvania approach to public service.
“It’s actually very pragmatic with no middle man between the firm and the client, no billable-hour limitations, no restrictions on the type of cases to be handled, and no other distractions,” he added. “As a result, the LoL program represents a pure, generous commitment to providing legal advice to less fortunate individuals and families. I am confident we will have more volunteers for this project in the future.”
Participating in the program’s inaugural effort were Linda Hernandez from Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote and Jennifer Schnore from Thorp Reed & Armstrong. Both attorneys were somewhat surprised by how many people in Pittsburgh need the legal representation provided by NLSA.
Schnore described the experience as a real eye-opener.
“I had no idea so many people were being treated unfairly and not in accordance with the laws that were built to protect them,” she said.
Jeff Wiley, shareholder and managing director at Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, said Hernandez returned to the firm with a broader base of legal skills and more importantly, with a better sense of the critical nature of the work done by NLSA.
“In addition, our firm’s association with the project has been a source of pride to the attorneys and has attracted the notice of the bench and bar both locally and statewide,” said Wiley. “Working with NLSA is not only an opportunity to exercise skills and judgment at a level that a relatively new attorney doesn’t often experience, but it also exposes that new lawyer to attorneys and administrators who are committed to a group of clients who are often overlooked because of their inability to pay. The experience learning from and with these legal service providers is invaluable.”
“I came back to my firm as a more experienced, confident litigator filled with a new passion for the work I do,” said Hernandez. “I challenge every attorney to take one case per year without pay for someone who otherwise would not have representation. You will feel much better about being a lawyer, and you will be a much better human being for the experience.”
Wiley said the Pittsburgh legal community continues to increase the amount of time and attention it pays to the importance of doing pro bono work. He said a good example is the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership, a coalition of lawyers, business people, and interested parties working to have a positive impact on the community and the way the community views its legal resources.
Mark Nowak, a partner at Thorp, Reed & Armstrong, said that LoL is an innovative program that represents a direct investment in the community and is consistent with the generous character of the people in Western Pennsylvania. He said Schnore exhibited more confidence in her knowledge of the law when she returned to the firm.
“Her experience with procedure, process, and in-court representation is transferable to all litigation cases she will handle,” he said. “Our firm supported the program because of our enlightened management. As lawyers, we should actively support an organization that is involved in the legal representation of clients. Providing a lawyer to the program has a significant impact on the number of clients that can be assisted with legal services.”
Schnore and Hernandez handled 381 cases during their tenure at NLSA in addition to helping staff attorneys with matters involving bankruptcy, protection from abuse, and other issues. The assistance was a significant benefit to the association, which has suffered from budget constraints that began in the 1980s.
Reed Smith picked up the mantle and moved the program forward in 2006 by permitting two of its associates to work at the NLSA. Although Hernandez and Schnore worked together during 2005, Amelia Joiner and Beth Thomas of Reed Smith each worked six months at NLSA in 2006.
Thomas finished her six-month stint at the end of December and has no doubt that the experience will help her with future legal endeavors. She believes her level of responsibility at NLSA enabled her to gain a different perspective than that of an associate working under the direction of a partner at a law firm.
“I am much more aware of the need for pro bono work and also of all the opportunities that are available for attorneys to do pro bono work in Pittsburgh,” said Thomas. “For instance, the Pro Bono Partnership offers a wide variety of pro bono opportunities for attorneys working in law firms. The projects have a range of time commitments and intensity levels so that everyone should be able to volunteer to some extent. Even a small amount of time can make a huge difference to those who need legal help.”