PRO BONO WORK AND LEGAL AID FUNDING
The economic crisis has hit legal aid funding. Jeff Kroll authored an article for the May 2011 issue of the DCBA Brief, which is the journal of the DuPage County Bar Association. Jeff's article, entitled, "The Realities of Pro Bono Work and the Legal Aid Funding Crisis," explains how the poor economic climate is affecting legal aid organizations. For example, there has been a significant reduction in interest payments to IOLTA accounts as a result of the economic crisis. IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts) was created by Congress in 1980 as a means to provide civil legal aid to the poor and support other justice system improvements. Interest earned in client trust accounts is allocated to programs providing legal services to the indigent. However, the program is in peril as interest rates have falled from 5.25% in September 2007 to .25% and lower.
Now is the time for lawyers to step up and do more. Although so many attorneys do provide pro bono work for those unable to afford representation, the time has come to step it up to help others.
