Pro Bono Project is boon to beleaguered

The work load of an unpaid group of lawyers just keeps increasing.

But that's the way they like it.

"As much as we joke about attorneys, and maybe rightly so, it's really a privilege to be one, so I think we need to do some kind of free work," attorney Kerry Skaggs said.

Founded 14 years ago largely by judges Nancy Becker and Sally Loehrer, the Clark County Pro Bono Project has about 170 attorneys who provide free representation to more than 300 clients, executive director Dennis Hetherington said.

Each attorney volunteers an average of 16 hours per case worth around $2,800.

"Jim Guesman, who's now running for judge, is one of our best volunteers," Hetherington said. "He's handled 32 clients over two years."

Skaggs became involved because he heads Access to Justice, a state bar association group which promotes voluntarism among lawyers.

"I feel that if I'm going to lead, I want to lead by example," he said.

A Nevada Supreme Court ruling encourages attorneys to do 20 hours of pro bono work each year, Skaggs said.

"It's not a requirement, but it's a standard we're supposed to aspire to, and I think most lawyers meet it."

According to Hetherington, there is no shortage of attorneys doing pro bono work, despite a record amount of clients.

"They volunteer their hours and usually they don't even ask reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses like Xeroxing costs," he said. "They have the kind of ethic that tells them they need to be helping poor people."

Skaggs added that he considers his free work a duty.

"With every right comes a responsibility," he said. "I'm a pretty conservative guy politically. But if attorneys don't volunteer, we're going to have a society where the middle class and the poor have no access to justice."

Although they may volunteer merely to serve, there are some benefits for the attorneys.

"It helps young lawyers get some courtroom experience," Becker said. "They develop relationships with the clients. So when the clients are back on their feet and they were satisfied with the service, they go back to that lawyer if they need help."

The Pro Bono Project has matched clients with lawyers since the mid-1980s when it was formed by the Clark County Bar Association for individuals who had absolutely no way to pay for representation, said Loehrer, who was president of the bar association at the time.

"We focus on helping women and children who are domestic violence victims, getting them protective orders, custody papers, child support," Hetherington said. "But we also do quite a few guardianship cases, bankruptcy cases, and an occasional real estate problem."

A non-profit organization which relies on local donations, the Pro Bono Project recently relocated conveniently near major bus routes, to 2408 Santa Clara Drive.

"Our goal has been not just to serve as many people as possible, but to make it as easy on them as possible too," Hetherington said.

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