New to Pro Bono?

1. Indiana Legal Help

Mission: Using technology, Indiana Legal Help seeks to improve access to justice for all Hoosiers by removing barriers to the law so that they can better understand their legal options, make informed decisions, and connect to local legal and community resources.

Indiana Legal Help (ILH) is located at www.indianalegalhelp.org, the website launched by Indiana’s access to justice commission, the Coalition for Court Access, in 2018 and run by the Indiana Bar Foundation. Through the website and other outreach, ILH connects Hoosiers with free and low-cost legal assistance in their area. ILH’s Pro Bono Opportunity Guide seeks to connect attorney, paralegal and law student volunteers with pro bono opportunities at Indiana’s civil legal assistance organizations.

By volunteering with a civil legal assistance organization, you fill an urgent need for qualified professionals to assist low-income Hoosiers who need legal help across the state.

2. What is Pro Bono?

The Indiana Supreme Court, through its adoption of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, urges Hoosier lawyers to provide pro bono services as part of their professional responsibility.

Rule 6.1. Pro Bono Publico Service

A lawyer should render public interest legal service. A lawyer may discharge this responsibility by providing professional services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations, by service in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession, and by financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. Since 2016, the Court has directed attorneys to annually report their pro bono donations and their direct legal services to people of limited means.

Rule 6.7 Requirement for Reporting of Direct Pro Bono Legal Services

1. Reporting Requirement. To assess the current and future extent of volunteer legal services provided directly to individuals of limited means and to encourage such services, an attorney must report as part of the attorney's annual registration, the following information:
   1. Pro Bono Hours - no compensation. During the previous calendar year ending December 31, I have personally provided approximately ______ hours of legal services in Indiana or other states directly to individuals reasonably believed to be of limited means without charge and without any fee expectation when the services were rendered.
   2. Pro Bono Hours - substantially reduced compensation. During the previous calendar year ending December 31, I have personally provided approximately _____ hours of legal services directly to individuals reasonably believed to be of limited means at a charge of less than 50% of my normal rate and without expectation of any greater fee when the services were rendered.
   3. Financial Contribution. During the previous calendar year ending December 31, I have either (i) made monetary contributions of $_______ to one or more of the following: (A) the Indiana Bar Foundation, (B) IRC 501 (c)(3) bar foundation in Indiana which provides financial support to a qualifying legal service organization or local pro bono district, (C) any IRC 501(c)(3) pro bono district listed in the Indiana Supreme Court website, or (D) a legal service organization located in Indiana that is eligible for fee waiver under I.C. 33-37-3-2(b); or (ii) made an in-kind contribution of tangible property fairly valued at $ ______ to one or more of the foregoing qualifying legal service organizations or local pro bono districts.
   4. Exempt Persons. An attorney is exempt from reporting under this Rule who is exempt from the provision of pro bono legal services because he or she (i) is currently serving as a member of the judiciary or judicial staff, (ii) is a government lawyer prohibited by statute, rule, regulation, or agency policy from providing legal services outside his or her employment, (iii) is retired from the practice of law, or (iv) maintains inactive standing with the Clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court.
2. Reporting Required. By requiring the affirmative reporting of pro bono legal services provided directly to an individual of limited means, this Rule 6.7 requires reporting only for a subset of the public interest legal service encouraged under Rule 6.1.
3. Public Disclosure of Information Received. Information received pursuant to this Rule is declared confidential and shall not be publically disclosed by the Indiana Supreme Court or any of its agencies, on an individual or firm-wide basis.

3. Why Do Pro Bono?

Professional Duty

• The Indiana Supreme Court, the American Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association and local bar associations recognize the importance of supporting our community through pro bono work and often encourage legal professionals to annually donate up to 50 hours of time to pro bono work.

Professional Development

• Pro bono work:
  • exposes attorneys to new substantive areas of the law.
  • provides skill-building and training opportunities for lawyers.
  • generates goodwill for your company or law firm.
  • provides opportunities to network and meet other professionals in your area of interest.

Personal Satisfaction & Community Improvement

• Pro bono work provides an opportunity to learn about and become involved in your community.
• Pro bono work is rewarding and can bring important perspective that is sometimes lost in our fast-paced practice.
• Providing pro bono work to a person can instantly improve that person’s life and makes our community a better place to live.

4. How Does Indianalegal​helpvolunteer.org Work?

Indianalegalhelpvolunteer.org hosts the Pro Bono Opportunity Guide. Feel free to take your time and peruse the guide for an opportunity you may be interested in.

Click on posted opportunities to learn more about what needs you might help meet. If you would like more information, simply click the “Express Interest” button to send limited information to the organization so that they can contact you with further information.