Gov. Perdue Issues Pro Bono Week Proclamation

Article Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009

PRO BONO WEEK 2009
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

Tripp Greason, Public Service Advisory Committee chair, left, presents proclamation to NCBA President John Wester at fall meeting of Board of Governors in Boone.

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Bar Association’s mission is to serve the public and the legal profession by promoting the administration of justice and encouraging the highest standards of integrity, competence, civility, and well-being of all members of the profession; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Bar Association encourages all members of the legal profession to serve our state by donating legal services, primarily to assist indigent North Carolinians and the organizations and agencies that provide services for them; and

WHEREAS, recent data suggests that of the more than 9 million people living in North Carolina, approximately 2.9 million live at or below the federal poverty level; and

WHEREAS, there is no general civil side right to representation; and

WHEREAS, there is one lawyer for every 400 people in the United States who can afford legal representation; and one legal services lawyer for every 7,000 Americans living in need; and

WHEREAS, there is one legal services lawyer for every 19,000 North Carolinians living in need; and

WHEREAS, our legal service providers are not adequately funded to begin to meet this need; and

WHEREAS, it is a lawyer’s professional responsibility to provide free legal services to those unable to pay reasonable fees; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation support the provision of pro bono legal services by the profession through the Pro Bono Project, 4ALL, NC LEAP, Wills for Heroes, and the many activities of the sections, divisions, committees; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Bar Association has joined the American Bar Association’s National Pro Bono Celebration to showcase the difference that pro bono attorneys can make in our communities, in our justice system, and for the people of North Carolina that they serve; and

WHEREAS, Pro Bono Week is dedicated to the many lawyers, law students, and paralegals who help make access to justice a reality for so many in North Carolina;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 25-31, 2009 as “PRO BONO WEEK” in North Carolina and urge all citizens to celebrate this worthwhile observance.

Signed by Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue
and affixed
the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina

Last Update: Thursday, November 19, 2009