Pro Bono Attorneys Critical to VRLC’s Success
Pro Bono Attorneys Critical to VRLC’s Success
By Carol Schrader and Scot Fishman,
Training and Technical Assistance Senior Attorney, Victim Rights Law Center; and Partner and Director of Pro Bono, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
This Pro Bono Week (October 22-28), Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) celebrates our incredible pro bono attorneys. As a national law center with direct services programs in Massachusetts and Oregon, VRLC has opportunities for firms across the country.
National, Jurisdiction-Specific Research & Analysis
Pro bono lawyers further VRLC’s mission by providing national, jurisdiction-specific research and analysis for our training and technical assistance (TTA) work. VLRC’s TTA team helps attorneys and legal advocates navigate mandatory reporting, privilege and confidentiality issues, post-conviction relief for survivors, and more. While we are expert in these laws broadly, the attorneys and legal advocates need to know survivors’ rights and service providers’ obligations according to laws of their particular jurisdictions. Thanks to support from national pro bono teams, including the formidable team at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., we have a robust offering of jurisdiction-specific resources that help lawyers and advocates answer complex and important questions, such as those about mandatory reporting requirements, rights to consent to services, and responding appropriately to subpoenas and warrants. These jurisdiction-specific resources have been described as “magical” by another national anti-sexual violence provider. We have firms like Shook, Hardy & Bacon to thank for their support in making these available to the field!
Direct Legal Services
In addition to this substantial national work, VRLC is always searching for more pro bono assistance with client civil legal representation. When VRLC’s attorneys are at capacity, we lean on pro bono support to represent clients in Boston, MA, and Portland, OR. VRLC provides training and ongoing mentorship and support. Simply put, if you are an attorney who can provide pro bono legal representation in Boston or Portland, we need your help. If you or your firm’s pro bono director are interested in discussing representation options further, please contact [email protected].
This Pro Bono Week, we celebrate our pro bono friends at Shook, Hardy & Bacon and other firms who make the scope of our work with survivors possible. We are grateful for all the ways they support our work.
Carol Schrader has worked on VRLC’s TTA team for more than 7 years during most of which she’s had the pleasure of working with Scot on pro bono projects. She appreciates Scot’s food-forward travel itineraries and joie de vivre.
Scot Fishman has been directing law firm pro bono programs for over 17 years and has been working closely with VRLC for a decade. When he’s not busy running pro bono programs, Scot can be found crying over his beloved (yet utterly disappointing) New York City sports teams or planning his next travel and foodie adventure!