Here at vTestify, we would like to congratulate the 345 attorneys added to the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society this year by our state’s Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC). These distinguished attorneys provided 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services to clients in need, please read the full list of inductees here.
The North Carolina State Bar’s Rule 6.1 “Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service” outline the requirements as seen below:
Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono publico legal services per year. In fulfilling this responsibility, the lawyer should:
(a) provide a substantial majority of the (50) hours of legal services without fee or expectation of fee to:
(1) persons of limited means;
(2) charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; or
(3) individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights, or charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters in furtherance of their organizational purposes, where the payment of standard legal fees would significantly deplete the organization’s economic resources or would be otherwise inappropriate
(b) provide any additional services through:
(1) the delivery of legal services described in paragraph (a) at a substantially reduced fee; or
(2) participation in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession.
Members of the Honor Society receive a certificate from the North Carolina Supreme Court in recognizing their services to the people of North Carolina. Ultimately, the 2017 Honor Society inductees provided over 35,000 hours of pro bono work to North Carolina citizens in need.
vTestify supports Pro Bono and Legal Aid work through our Access to Justice Initiative. Read more about how we are aiding and supporting Legal Aid and Pro Bono groups here.