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2011 Outreach Summaries › Johnson County Bar Association Heavily Involved in Pro Bono
Johnson County Bar Association Heavily Involved in Pro Bono
Summary Date: Monday, August 01, 2011
Written By: Patrick Norris
Pro bono work is very common in the legal profession and the North Carolina Bar Association has staff and annual awards dedicated to showcasing these efforts. Local bar associations across North Carolina are often involved in their own programs in addition to the NCBA-sponsored events such as the 4ALL Service Day and Call 4ALL.
The Johnston County Bar Association has been involved with pro bono efforts over the years and was recognized at the 2011 NCBA Annual Meeting on June 24 with the Chief Justice Award. The Smithfield office of Legal Aid of North Carolina nominated the JCBA and attorneys Tom Berkau and current JCBA president Cindy Pittard were on hand to receive the award.
Berkau, whose office is located adjacent to the LANC office in Smithfield, has worked with both organizations for 37 years. He estimates that he donates 75-100 hours annually to LANC.
The JCBA was a bar comprised of mostly older attorneys with a total membership of around 50 when Berkau began his career. That number is just over 120 this year with a mix of younger and seasoned members.
“When I started practicing law in 1974 no one ever talked about pro bono,” Berkau recalled. “I never heard the words ‘pro bono’ while in law school.”
When LANC opened its office in Smithfield in 1978, the first managing attorney was Leonard Green, and he introduced the local attorneys to pro bono work. It was a tough sell early on, as many of the attorneys clients in Johnston County were local farmers and LANC often provided legal services related to migrant workers’ rights.
“I think once the old way of thinking started to wear off and the bar realized that legal aid was there to help those citizens that couldn’t otherwise afford an attorney,” Berkau said, “the attitude started changing and the bar began to embrace the challenges and benefits of pro bono work.”
For Pittard, her focus for the upcoming year is rooted firmly in expanding the role of the JCBA in local and statewide pro bono efforts.
“We have many lawyers who participate in 4ALL each year and we started our own Ask-A-Lawyer day last year,” Pittard said. “We plan to keep hosting our own event and I want every new bar president to embrace this effort moving forward.”
Pittard said that she often encourages attorneys to at least do consultations with clients that are referred to them through LANC, even if the attorney doesn’t have time to take the case on.
“We have a large population of people here in Johnston County who might need help and at the very least just need advice,” Pittard said. “I think our bar has been particularly open and receptive.”
Pittard also says a focus for the JCBA in the upcoming year will be to encourage attorneys to get involved with the NCBA mentoring program.
“It certainly betters our profession and makes us better able to serve the public,” Pittard said. “Mentoring helps all attorneys to improve in the court room and in their daily practice of law and is a good way for established lawyers to help recent graduates.”
Do you know of an attorney or law firm that has been active in the community or has made significant charitable contributions? The outreach section of the NCBA website is designed to highlight these efforts. Contact Amber Smith, Assistant Director of Communications for Community Outreach and Social Media for the NCBA, at asmith@ncbar.org.