Pro Bono Plan

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW SECTION
PRO BONO PLAN

Effective September 15, 1995, the Labor and Employment Law Section adopted a pro bono program.  The pro bono program is directed toward meeting the following goals:

    1. Direct expenditure of Section funds to benefit existing pro bono programs;

    2. Provision of educational opportunities and information in the labor and employment law area to Legal Aid attorneys throughout the State of Texas including rural areas;

    3. Provision of pro bono service opportunities for Section members; and

    4. Compliance with State Bar of Texas guidelines for pro bono activities.

In order to accomplish these goals the Section Council will meet periodically and take all actions appropriate and necessary to implement the following items.  Listed beneath each item is a "task list" which is a broad outline of tasks necessary to implement the
item.

Item No. 1: Creation of a pro bono committee consisting of Council members and other Section members to administer the Labor and Employment Law Section's pro bono program.

    Task List:

    a. The Section Chair will appoint a pro bono committee comprised of two Council members and five other Section members.

    b. Solicit volunteers from Section members through the Section newsletter to become members of the pro bono committee.

    c. Selection of committee members in a manner that ensures geographic diversity and that utilizes staggered rotations on and off the committee to ensure continuity of programs.

    d. Assign implementation of pro bono program to the committee, which will provide periodic reports to the Council to ensure overall compliance with the program's goals.

Item No. 2: Designation of an amount from each year's Section dues and revenues, if any, from CLE courses for contribution to pro bono service providers to further the work of existing pro bono programs.

    Task List:

    a. Through Texas Lawyers Care, identify existing pro bono providers with the greatest need for financial assistance.

    b. Develop criteria for annual selection of recipients of designated monies.  Criteria established should ensure that donated monies are provided over time to a geographically and programmatically diverse group of pro bono service providers.

Item No. 3: Provide up to five scholarships to Legal Aid -- including rural Legal Aid -- attorneys for both the Section's annual spring labor and employment law update and the annual summer CLE program conducted in connection with the State Bar's annual meeting.  Each scholarship would include reimbursement for course tuition, travel,
accommodations and meals.

    Task List:

    a. Develop a succinct list of written criteria for awarding scholarships.  First consideration in awarding scholarships should be given to Legal Aid attorneys in the area where the seminar is conducted.

    b. Through Texas Lawyers Care, identify Legal Aid -- including rural Legal Aid -- clinics whose attorneys qualify for scholarships.

    c. Correspond with qualifying Legal Aid clinics to advise such clinics of availability of scholarships.

    d. Develop system whereby excess materials prepared for each CLE course may be distributed to qualifying and interested Legal Aid clinics for use by their attorneys.

Item No. 4: Identify Section members who are willing to perform pro bono work and make this information available to pro bono service providers and charitable  organizations in need of pro bono legal assistance.

    Task List:

    a. Develop and send to all Section members a biannual questionnaire with a cover letter from the Section Chair.  The Chair's letter should remind members of the State Bar of Texas guidelines for pro bono activities and strongly encourage them to indicate their willingness to participate in pro bono activities by returning the questionnaire.  The questionnaire should be utilized to inquire whether members are willing to undertake the following types of pro bono activities:

        (i.)  Acceptance of pro bono employment cases from local pro bono service providers;

        (ii.) Acceptance of contingent fee employment cases from lawyer referral programs;

        (iii.) Agreement to staff "advice only" clinics in their local area; and

        (iv.) Agreement to provide legal advice and services to charitable organizations.

    b. Tabulate the results of returned questionnaires and create lists, delineated by geographical location, of Section members who are willing to provide pro bono services in one or more of the above-referenced areas.

    c. Through Texas Lawyers Care, identify pro bono service providers and charitable organizations in need of pro bono services in the labor and employment law area.

    d. Provide information on members willing to provide pro bono services to pro bono providers in the same geographical location as a resource in providing pro bono services in the labor and employment law area.

Item No. 5: Publicize pro bono opportunities for Section members in the Labor and Employment Law Section newsletter.

    Task List:

    a. On an ongoing basis identify pro bono opportunities for Section members by publicizing such opportunities in the Section newsletter.

    b. Establish an annual award for the most significant pro bono contribution by a Section member in the area of service and develop criteria for determining the recipient of such
award.  Each recipient will be recognized at the annual Section meeting and his/her achievements in the pro bono area will be publicized in the next Section newsletter.

                                                                                 Chair