PRO BONO COMMITTEE

Come join us! Be a part of our ever-growing and developing program. There are more than 25 PPA paralegals who volunteer their time, skills of their specialty profession, and most of all, their energy to helping others. PPA Pro Bono Committee acknowledges the dedication and services rendered by the volunteering paralegal by a certificate of appreciation annually to the participating volunteer. Many employers also recognize a participant's activities conducted in a specific pro bono program through awards of service within their own organization. But the most rewarding experience of all is knowing that the volunteer is fulfilling a need that can only be met through assisting others who need that extra TLC of help in handling their legal issues. PPA Pro Bono Committee has participated in the following programs through the years and continues to broaden its outreach to other programs that are just beginning to establish themselves as Services offered to the community. As programs come into existence and request pro bono volunteers to render their assistance, we will publish them on this website for your perusal and desire to participate as a volunteer. The current programs in which PPA Pro Bono volunteers are active participants are as follows:

CHILD ADVOCACY NETWORK (C.A.N.):

President and co-founder, Mary Colonna. C.A.N. is an activist group dealing with the rights and protection of children experiencing the life-changing situation of their parents going through the divorce process within the court system. The emotional, psychological, and medical effects a child may experience at this time in his or her life are issues of concern. C.A.N. is the "watchdog" on the divorce process through the court system as well as it takes measures to influence legislators on "listening to the child's pain". See website: www.net.org Or e-mail Mary Colonna at: mmabon5.@aol.com.

NEIGHBORHOOD LEGAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION (NLSA):

Director, Barbara Kern, Esq. NLSA services Allegheny County and surrounding areas providing advice on Family Law, Bankruptcy Law, Public Benefits Law, Employment Law and Landlord/Tenant Law. On occasion, when circumstances dictate further action, NLSA will represent an individual in the following types of cases: protection from abuse, custody, litigation defense, unemployment compensation, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, SS and SSI terminations, adult guardianship or settlement of estates with limited assets. Pro bono volunteers assist clients in handling the necessary paperwork for processing the legal issues, interview clients as well as assist the pro bono attorney on the above-mentioned legal issues when necessary. Contact: NLSA at phone: 412-255-6700.

YWCA's LEGAL RESOURCES FOR WOMEN (LRW):

Director Rosemary C. Crawford, Esq. This program was established to assist women with such legal issues as divorce, custody, support, abuse as well as a wide variety of other legal matters including the rights of elder persons. As a referral and resource center for answering the needs of women who have no knowledge of where to turn to for guidance or for whom to seek professional help in their life situations, the Legal Resources for Women offers its own "Second Saturday" program. This workshop affords any woman seeking the knowledge of "how to do it" the opportunity to listen to various speakers in the legal/ professional fields of Family Law, Psychology, Financial Estate Planning and Mediation. Legal Resources for Women also offers an internship program for students pursuing a career in the legal field. For more information on how pro bono volunteers may assist in this program, please call: 412-281-4942.

VOLUNTEER STANDBY PROGRAM:

There are also "once in a lifetime" programs that are offered due to circumstances or events which require the assistance of pro bono volunteers. These programs are unique in the legal issues that they present to the public as a whole and to the paralegal looking for a challenging experience. Such an event occurred on September 11, 2001 with the World Trade Center disaster involving so many people and affecting so many others inter-related with the victims of this catastrophe. PPA Pro Bono participants volunteered assistance in programs then being established in New York City and elsewhere to aid victims and their families. Another closer-to-home event occurred on September 17, 2004, with the voluminous flooding of local rivers and streams causing extensive destruction to homes, businesses, and lives within the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. PPA Pro Bono volunteers assisted the Allegheny County Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service in handling legal issues. If you would like to be one of these "special" people to volunteer your time and energy on a sometimes very short notice, please add your name to PPA's Pro Bono "Standby" listing of volunteers.

Upcoming Pro Bono Programs

Upcoming Pro Bono Programs for Paralegals to be established are shown in the following list. If you are interested in pursuing any one of these programs, please contact Fay Luther at e-mail address: luther.f@mellon.com for further information as it becomes available.

Animal Abuse/Protection/Law

Immigration Issues

Kids Voice

Uptown Clinic