The Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation promotes access to justice by inspiring and equipping volunteer attorneys to provide advocacy and representation to low-income individuals.

 

The Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation is the charitable arm of the Greenville County Bar Association charged with promoting access to justice within Greenville and the Upstate.  The Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation has partnered with the following organizations to provide legal services to those in need:

  • Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) with Greenville Health System, Furman University and South Carolina Legal Services

  • South Carolina Legal Services (Legal Aid)

The Greenville Bar and the Foundation invite all local attorneys to participate in this new pro bono initiative.  This initiative was developed to facilitate and inspire pro bono involvement by our attorneys, which is an integral aspect of the high calling of our profession.  There is a great need for legal services in civil matters to low income families in our community, but the available resources are insufficient.  As lawyers, we all take an oath to ensure that justice is available to all citizens, yet we often may not be aware of the need or of how we can best use our willingness to serve.  The new pro bono initiative solves these issues through the creation and implementation of a web portal that matches low income individuals with specific legal needs (vetted by SC Legal Services) to local lawyers who can fulfill the need.  And you are one of those lawyers who is able to fulfill the need.  The Greenville Bar has made it very easy to get involved.  Simply navigate on your web browser to www.scprobono.org and within minutes you can create a profile and be able to review and accept real cases to help real people.  You will never be assigned a case, and you only will take on a representation that you specifically choose following an opportunity to review the potential matter and conduct a conflict check.  We hope you will join with the Greenville Bar in this worthy effort.

Interested in donating to the Foundation? Please make your check payable to the Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation and mail to PO Box 10145, Greenville, SC 29603.

  • 16.6% of people in South Carolina had incomes below the poverty line ($24,600 for a family of four) in 2015
  • In the past year, 85% of the civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans received inadequate or no legal help
  • 71% of low-income households experienced at least one civil legal problem in the last year including problems with health care, housing conditions, disability access, veterans' benefits, and domestic violence.
  • In 2017, low income Americans approached LSC-funded legal aid organizations for support with an estimated 1.7 million problems.  They will receive only limited or no legal help for more than half of these problems due to a lack of resources.

Program Information for Lawyers

The Foundation provides our lawyers with opportunities, training, mentoring, and litigation support funds for court costs and filings associated with their pro bono work.  The Greenville Bar regularly hosts Continuing Education seminars if you would like to get involved in pro bono work but it is outside the scope of your practice area.

The South Carolina Bar has malpractice insurance available to all participating lawyers by completing this form for each case accepted.  This insurance would serve as secondary to any primary insurance coverage that the lawyer may already have.  This enables government, retired and other lawyers to provide services and have malpractice coverage.

We have pro bono opportunities in a wide range of practice areas including:

  • Consumer Issues

  • Disability

  • Family & Juvenile

  • Housing

  • Immigration

  • Military and Veterans Affairs

  • Human Trafficking

 

Officers

Board Members

Staff

 Training Videos

 

Wills Clinics- Greenville County Teachers

The YLD and the Greenville County Bar Association are hosting a Wills Clinic for Greenville County Teachers on September 26. In preparation for this, Jeff Gurney led a TRAINING SESSION.

COVID-19 EVICTION DEFENSE

In response to the eviction issues that will stem from COVID-19, S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center prepared training material to assist attorneys. Please email melinda@greenvillebar.org for the password to access these materials that can be found HERE.

Residential Eviction Defense

Mark Fesler, with South Carolina Legal Services, presents the basics of residential eviction defense. These videos are available to attorneys who are working with a client through SC Legal Services and/or the Greenville Bar Pro Bono Foundation. Email melinda@greenvillebar.org for the password.

Entire Training Session

Topics within Training (Short Videos):
1. Starting Points
2. Noticed Served
3. RTVSC Served Recently
4. Method for Preparing Some Defenses
5. Counterclaims
6. File an Answer
7. Remedies
8. Trial Considerations
9. Mediation and Settlement
10. Final Hearing- Writ of Ejectment Issued
11. New Trial Reconsideration
12. Appeal to Circuit Court
13. Question & Answer Session

 
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This list is compiled through a partnership with the Palmetto Volunteer Attorney Project and other organizations in our community. Search through available pro bono cases below. When you find the right one, fill in your information and submit. The posting organization will then contact you with more information.