The VBA Community Service Program

The VBA's Community Service Program is 5 Years Young

100,000 hours of pro bono legal assistance and community service surpassed by Virginia judges, lawyers and law students
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Averaging over 25,000 hours per year in first four years of the Make The Commitment Program
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Please Come to the Annual Meeting to Celebrate This Singular Achievement with Us
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Make Your own 2009 CSP Resolution
At the Annual Meeting, our 2009 Service Project will be:

A Children's Book Drive
After all, what better way to celebrate what the CSP has started than to keep serving? We will collect new or very gently used children's books at the booth. Books should be appropriate for ages 0-18 and be non-denominational. Gently used books should be in "like new" condition and should not contain a child's name or other writing in the book. The books will be donated to REACH and to "Read Baby Read" (more information below). Your donation of these books to groups that use and disseminate them will spread among countless Virginia children the joy of words, learning, inspiration and fresh dreams. Now is the time to clean out your bookshelves and make a run to your nearest bookstore. If you forget your books, you can easily stroll over to the William & Mary Bookstore at 345 Duke of Gloucester Street, and pick out a favorite book to donate. Please bring as many books as you can.

Law firms are encouraged to institute in-house competitions to see which
offices/sections/floors can donate the most books.

Recipients of the Book Drive:

REACH (Reading Enriches All Children) is an organization that supports the literacy needs of homeless and at-risk children living in shelters throughout the south Hampton Roads community. REACH conducts a story time and supporting activity in the shelters. At the end of each session every child receives a new book.

The peninsula Junior League has a program called "Read Baby Read" which collects new and gently used children's books and distributes them to underprivileged families on the peninsula via workshops that teach the benefits of reading to kids.

Lawyers, judges, law faculty and administrators, and law students are all eligible to participate in the VBA Community Service Program. If you would like more information about the Program, please read the following questions and answers:

Q: What is The Virginia Bar Association Community Service Program?
A: This is a program to encourage one of the great traditions of our profession. The VBA wants all lawyers to get involved in helping others in their communities.

Q: Is this program just for VBA members?
A: No, it is open to all Virginia lawyers, judges, law faculty/administrators and law students, and it does not require joining the VBA or paying any fee of any kind.

Q: Aren’t Virginia lawyers already involved in various pro bono publico legal service and community service activities?
A: Yes. The Community Service Program seeks to build on this service and encourage more lawyer participation in volunteer activities. The goal is not to develop new projects but to identify and facilitate involvement in existing pro bono publico legal service and community service opportunities so lawyers can more readily identify meaningful ways to help those in need.

Q: Is this a mandatory VBA pro bono publico legal services program?
A: No, it is not mandatory. The VBA is asking Virginia lawyers to perform 50 hours per year of pro bono publico legal services or nonlegal community service, or a mix of both. Law students may perform 35 hours of community service.

Q: What is the VBA’s role in this program?
A: The VBA is the administrator of this program and will facilitate lawyers’ participation.

Q: Why is the VBA doing this?
A: The VBA hopes to remind lawyers of their personal and professional obligation for community service; to reveal the opportunities for service so that lawyers can do the fun part — volunteer; and to publicly recognize lawyers for what they are doing.

Q: Don’t the ethical rules already suggest that lawyers devote time to pro bono publico legal service?
A: Rule 6.1(a) of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct states that, “A lawyer should render at least two percent per year of the lawyer’s professional time to pro bono publico legal services. Pro bono services include poverty law, civil rights law, public interest law, and volunteer activities designed to increase availability of pro bono legal services.”

Q: What is nonlegal community service?
A: Community service includes voluntary assistance, undertaken without expectation of a fee, and not in the course of ordinary commercial practice, to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and educational organizations or causes or for the good of the community.

Q: How does this program impact the standard set in the ethical rules?
A: This program is designed to help lawyers meet the goal set forth in the ethical rules and to encourage community service and pro bono publico legal service generally.

Q: Why should I do this?
A: It is a chance to get involved and give back to your community and those in need, a chance to promote equal access to justice, and a sense of personal fulfillment. It’s the right thing to do. And your involvement will encourage other Virginia lawyers to do the same!

Q: How do I get more information and get involved?
A: Visit this page to get more details. Read about the program, find links to lists of service opportunities, perform at least 50 hours of community service and/or pro bono publico legal service, and the VBA will do the rest. Program news is published in the VBA News Journal on a regular basis. Alternatively, call the VBA office at (804) 644-0041.

Q: What can local bar associations do to get involved?
A: Encourage member participation. Contact the VBA to have your service projects listed on the VBA’s website, so that projects and volunteers may find each other.

Q: What’s new about the program for 2007?
A: We have eliminated the “pledge” form. At the end of 2007 (or the beginning of 2008) simply sign the certification form, stating that you completed 50 hours of pro bono publico legal service and/or community service in 2007, and send it to the VBA. As in prior years, we will send the certification form to your e-mail address that we have on file, you can download it from the VBA website, or you can complete the certification at the annual meeting in January 2008.

Q: Who has already become a VBA Community Servant or Pro Bono Servant?
A: You can review their names on our website. We want your name there too!

The VBA Community Servant and Pro Bono Servant program asks for 50 hours per lawyer per year of pro bono publico legal service (to be designated as a "VBA Pro Bono Servant"), nonlegal community service or a mix of both (to be designated as a "VBA Community Servant"). The Council implementing this Program will assist lawyers to make their own determination as to what constitutes community service.

There is already clear guidance as to what constitutes pro bono publico legal service. Rule 6.1(a) of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct states that, "A lawyer should render at least two percent per year of the lawyer's professional time to pro bono publico legal services. Pro bono services include poverty law, civil rights law, public interest law and volunteer activities designed to increase availability of pro bono legal services." The commentary to this Rule of Professional Conduct provides more detail and is restated in full on the VBA Pro Bono Servant Form. The Virginia Bar Association is not able to offer interpretations of the Rule.

Nonlegal community service includes the provision of voluntary assistance undertaken without expectation of a fee, and not in the course of ordinary commercial practice, to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and educational organizations or causes or for the good of the community and which does not constitute a family, religious, political or social obligation which would generally obtain. Community service may include the provision of legal services which satisfy this definition, regardless of whether they qualify as pro bono publico legal services as that term is defined by Rule 6.1(a) of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct.

This program is not designed to identify saints and superstars. Rather, it is designed to help lawyers meet the goal set forth in the ethical rules and to encourage community service and pro bono publico legal service generally.

The program will also help lawyers meet such goals by working to enlist the support of law firms, corporations, government agencies, and other organizations that employ lawyers. For example, an employer may be honored as a "Community Service Sponsor" by certifying that greater than 50 percent of its Virginia attorneys whose principal office is in Virginia have qualified as VBA Community Servants, VBA Pro Bono Servants, or both. The program will promote public recognition for such organizational involvement in the program.

This program is for all Virginia lawyers regardless of their age, stage of legal career, type of practice, or location of practice. The program does not require joining the VBA or paying any fee of any kind.