PRESIDENT'S ARTICLE

The Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation is Off the Ground, and Superheroes are Being Unmasked!

In 1978, when I was nine years old, I saw the Superman movie with Christopher Reeves and loved it.  There is a scene where Clark Kent is picking up Lois Lane to go on a date.  Lois momentarily leaves the room, and Clark takes off his glasses and begins to speak in his authentic Superman voice, as if he were about to reveal his true identity:  “Lois, there’s something I have to tell you.  I’m really….”  Lois suddenly walks back into the room.  Superman thinks better of it and immediately reverts to his disguise by returning his glasses to his face and saying in his Clark Kent voice, “...really nervous about tonight, uh, but then I decided, darn it, I'm gonna show you the time of your life!”  (Thank you, internet.)  A similar theme is introduced in the new Spiderman movie when Peter Parker’s best friend hilariously learns his true identity and cannot quit peppering him with questions about what being a superhero is like.  In both instances, the authentic greatness is hidden but ultimately revealed.  

These scenes make me think of lawyers, disguised as mild-mannered, ordinary people, who in truth have superpowers for the purpose of helping others.  It is time that we reveal our true identities!  And the Greenville Bar is ready to help.  As you are aware by now, the Bar has made it our mission this year to establish a Pro Bono initiative to promote, facilitate, and organize pro bono efforts by our members.  One obstacle to facilitating pro bono service in the past has been a lack of any specific oversight or leadership.  Another obstacle has been the lack of a mechanism to match the unmet needs of the community with volunteer attorneys.  I am very proud to announce that the Bar has found a solution to both of these obstacles.
 
First, the Greenville Bar has established the Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation, which is designed to direct the Bar’s pro bono efforts and also to serve as a vehicle for receiving funds that may be used to fund incidental costs to pro bono efforts, such as filing fees and the like.  When an attorney takes on a pro bono opportunity, it is our vision that the attorney will only be asked to donate time, not legal costs.  The Foundation will be run by a Board of Directors selected by the Bar’s Executive Committee and chaired by the President Elect of the Greenville County Bar.  I expect that the Foundation will have a tremendous impact on our community for many years to come.  Forming this Foundation is a remarkable achievement that could not have been accomplished without the tireless efforts of our officers, Jennifer Howe, Kirby Mitchell, and Powers Price, as well as the guidance of Matthew Couvillion, the Pro Bono Committee, and countless others who volunteered their time and effort.
 
Second, we have teamed up with the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission (SCATJ) to run a pilot program for software that provides a mechanism for connecting attorneys to the community’s need.  This software originally was the vision of Justice John C. Few, who heads up the Commission and who brought his usual passion to bear in developing an initial concept for the software.  The software will operate akin to an online dating service that matches volunteer attorneys to pro b.ono opportunities, thereby relieving a gigantic administrative and logistical burden.  Participating attorneys will receive notice of specific pro bono opportunities in the attorney’s selected areas of interest and may choose whether or not ultimately to select any particular assignment.  SCATJ recently secured funding to develop the software through a generous grant from the South Carolina Bar Foundation, and the software is expected to be ready for testing this Fall.
 
The great news is that Justice Few has specifically asked the Greenville Bar to operate a pilot program with the software, and we could not be more thrilled to have such an opportunity.  The Bar is looking for attorneys to participate in this pilot program in the Fall who are willing to accept at least one pro bono case in order to test the software.  Following the trial phase, we anticipate rolling out the project to the entire Greenville Bar in early 2018.  Please contact the Bar (melinda@greenvillebar.org) if you would like to “unmask” and participate in this cutting edge pilot program.