The Atlanta Lawyer December 2016 / January 2017 | Page 20

State Bar of Georgia 2017
Access to Justice Campaign
Hon. Catherine M. Salinas
United States Magistrate Court, NDGA
Ellis C. Liu
Gordon & Rees LLP

“We believe that there is a lack of
access to justice for many people
and that we, as a profession, have an
obligation to provide and promote
access.” This is one of the Position
Statements articulated in the State
Bar of Georgia’s 2016-2018 Strategic
Plan. The Strategic Plan declares
that encouraging members of the
Bar to provide pro bono services
is a high priority of the Bar in the
coming years.
Taking these statements to heart,
the Access to Justice Committee
of the State Bar is in the process
of developing an exciting new Access to Justice Campaign titled “Due
Justice-Do Fifty.” The Campaign
is an effort not only to encourage

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December 2016 / January 2017

members of the Bar to take on a pro
bono matter but also to simplify the
task of matching pro bono attorneys
with clients in need.
The Campaign’s name is rooted
in Rule 6.1 of the Georgia Rules of
Professional Conduct, which states
that lawyers “should aspire to render at least fifty hours of pro bono
publico legal services per year . . .
to persons of limited means.”
While the Rules encourage attorneys to perform fifty hours of pro
bono service each year, the Honorable Jill Pryor, chairwoman of the
Access to Justice Committee, reminds us that every little bit counts:
“Fifty hours is an aspirational goal.
Notwithstanding the Campaign
name, the point of the Campaign
is to reach out to volunteers who
are willing to help for even a small

amount of time. Some injustices can
be resolved with just a letter from an
attorney, and we really need volunteer attorneys to write those letters.
Do not let the ‘50’ scare you. Let it
inspire you.”
Many Georgians have basic legal
needs that go unmet for the simple
reason that they cannot afford to
hire an attorney. As members of
the Bar, we are uniquely poised to
correct such injustices, using our
brains, legal training, experience,
and time.
The Access to Justice Committee
feels that a key to meeting those unmet legal needs is to assist lawyers in
finding rewarding pro bono opportunities that align with the lawyers’
skills and interests. Enter the new
“Due Justice-Do Fifty” campaign,
which will serve as a matchmaking