News Post

Lawyers Hop On Board The “Justice Bus”; Travel Thru Out State To Give The Poor Free Civil Legal Help During Oct. 19-27

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Montgomery, Alabama, October 4, 2012 – The song says, “the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round,” and the sound of those wheels will be heard across rural Alabama during October 19-27 as the JUSTICE Bus rolls into town.

The JUSTICE Bus is the State Bar’s travelling pro bono legal services vehicle that will make stops in Huntsville (Oct. 19), Summerdale (Oct. 22), Hayneville (Oct. 24) and Pleasant Grove (Oct. 25), enabling lawyers and law students to assist poor and disadvantaged citizens living in those communities who are in need of free civil legal advice and can’t afford to pay for the services of a lawyer.

State Bar President Phillip W. McCallum of Birmingham (McCallum Methvin & Terrell PC) said, “The number of people living below the poverty level is large and continuing to grow – more than 800,000 persons in Alabama. These include military veterans and their families, those with a disability, the unemployed, children, senior citizens and survivors of natural disasters. Their legal needs require assistance in areas relating to family law, domestic violence, child abuse, employment issues, government benefits, foreclosure and health care. For the promise of the rule of law to be real to our most vulnerable citizens, lawyers render service through pro bono.”

Lawyers in each of the state’s 42 judicial circuits will participate in such activities as: conducting free legal clinics offering advice and counsel in such areas as elder and family law; discussing with community and civic groups the critical need for the Legislature to provide a continuous stream of funding for legal services, and recruiting additional lawyers to volunteer to provide pro bono service.

Currently, more than 4,500 lawyers are enrolled in the Volunteer Lawyers programs operated by the Birmingham Bar Association, Madison County Bar Association, South Alabama Bar Association and the State Bar.

For more information on these events and other services that the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program provides, call (888) 857-8571.

The 17,000-member Alabama State Bar is dedicated to promoting the professional responsibility, competence and satisfaction of its members, improving the administration of justice and increasing public understanding and respect for the law.