2024 marks the 37th year that the Legal Services to the Public Committee has sought individual pro bono award nominees. This year also marks the 20th year for both the Judges Award and the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year Award, given, respectively, to a judge and a legal services attorney selected by the committee in recognition of exceptional contributions to improving civil legal aid in the commonwealth. The Judges Award is named the Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille Award in honor of the Chief Justice Emeritus.
2024 also marks the 14th year for the Pro Bono Partner Award to a non-attorney who supports legal services to the needy. That award was renamed the Danna Rich-Collins Pro Bono Partner Award in honor of the long-serving North Penn Legal Aid paralegal who retired in 2021 after 46 years of service.
These are the award criteria:
- The nominee works in Pennsylvania.
- The nominee, other than the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year nominees, is not employed by an organization that has as its primary purpose the provision of free legal services to the poor. The Pro Bono Partner nominee may work for such an organization.
- The nominee has provided direct delivery of legal services or assisted in facilitating the delivery of such service in civil matters, with no expectation of receiving a fee, to a client or client group that does not have the resources to employ compensated counsel or has worked to facilitate such effort by other attorneys.
- The nominee has made an outstanding contribution to the provision of legal services to the indigent without charge.
- The nominee has made such contributions primarily through organized pro bono programs, lawyer referral service no-fee panels and legal services programs or has worked with such organizations to improve the delivery of legal services to the poor.
- The nominee’s efforts have resulted in increased access to legal services for low-income people.
Nominations may be made at any time.
Awards Nomination Form
2024 Pro Bono Awards
Past PBA Pro Bono Award Winners
Youth Court Awards
Louis J. Goffman Awards
Immigration Law Pro Bono Award
Samuel W. Milkes Award
Ernico Award Information and Past Winners