Pro Deo 1.6
Now 60-65 elo stronger than version 1.6 Not bad for one month work. November 24, 2011 ProDeo 1.73 Better again November 10, 2011 ProDeo 1.72 approximately +30 elo.
Pro Bono, Pro Deo or Both? 'A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono publico legal services per year. In fulfilling this responsibility, the lawyer should.provide a substantial majority of the.hours without fee or expectation of fee to persons of limited means.In addition, a lawyer should voluntarily contribute financial support to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means.' American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 6.1, amended 1992 'He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.' Proverbs 14:31,22:22-23 'Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'
The Teachings of Jesus, Luke 12:33-34 '.Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.' The Teachings of Jesus, Luke 11:46 Consider Two Advertisements: 'Lawyer wanted! Must desire income in excess of $100,000.
Apply on the 38th floor. 'Lawyer wanted! Must desire income not to exceed $30,000.
Apply in the basement' It May Be Pro Bono For Some Attorneys In a legal profession where the twin 'gods' of personal autonomy and financial security have finally become for too many the measure of all things, it is easy to see why the elevator to the 38th floor will be jammed, but the steps leading to the basement floor of legal aid and voluntary service will echo with very little traffic. And so it is now estimated that only 15-20% of the civil legal needs of the poor are being met, even though their legal problems often involve questions concerning access to the necessities of life. This problem is complicated by the fact that although most lawyers donate some free services, little of it involves representation of indigents. Some reports indicate that while as many as sixteen percent (16%) of the nations more than 920,000 lawyers participate in pro bono services for the poor, only about six (6%) percent of lawyer time is pro bono, much of it devoted to service to charities rather than direct service to poor people. Historically, the organized bar has responded to this problem by supporting federal funding of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), establishing Interest on Lawyer's Trust Account (IOLTA) programs in which the interest paid is used to help fund legal services programs, and by intensifying voluntary private attorney pro bono efforts. Although these efforts are certainly commendable, they were already insufficient to meet the increasing need for legal representation since Congress has progressively reduced LSC's budget appropriation from $400 million (FY 1994) to $275 million (FY 2000) dollars.
Pro Deo 2.1
So where do we go from here? For many good legal and pragmatic reasons, no state or federal bar association yet mandates pro bono assistance to the poor as a condition for practicing law. The American Bar Association (ABA) and many state bar associations have adopted voluntary pro bono 'aspirations' like those set forth in Model Rule 6.1 above. In response to questions about what the legal profession could do to promote a more positive public perception of attorneys, forty-three (43%) percent of the people surveyed by the ABA said that providing pro bono legal services would improve the public image of the legal profession. Indeed, one writer characterizes pro bono as 'a vaccine which can render a lawyer immune to lawyers jokes and. Reverse the negative, distorted image which many people, including lawyers themselves, have of the legal profession.'
Let it be Pro Bono & Pro Deo for the Christian Legal Society But for the Christian lawyer, the issue is not so much about pro bono aspirations or improving our professional image. It's more about the pro Deo duty we owe to God. Isn't it the biblical duty of the Christian lawyer to love and voluntarily seek to defend the 'poor,' the 'needy,' the 'weak,' and the fatherless? '(Ps 82:3,Pr. Shouldn't our heroes be Joseph as he teaches his jealous brothers that what they meant for 'evil' against him, God meant it for good in order to save as many people as possible. (Gen.50:20); or Moses as he faces down the powers of his day who refused to 'let God's people go;' or David against Goliath ('let no man's heart fail because of him, your servant will go and fight this Philistine,' 1 Sam.
17:32); or Daniel in the Lion's Den (O King, live forever! Dan, 6:16-24), or the apostles Peter and John before their accusers ('We ought to obey God, rather than men,' Acts 4:19-20,5:29), or the lawyer Paul before the magistrates and emperors of the Roman Empire. (Acts 16, 22,23,28; Phil 1:6,12-14). And isn't there a duty for the Christian lawyer to willingly respond to the summons and example of Jesus Christ, the supreme defender of the 'least of these, ' who even now advocates and represents us before our Father in heaven? Here's How You can Find Out More about CLS' Legal Aid Program If your answers to any of these biblically-based questions are in the affirmative, be inspired by the attorneys you meet who want to provide Christian legal services for the poor and please take the time to complete and return the CLS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHRISTIAN LAWYERS, LAW STUDENTS OR PARALEGALS.
Here is What Christian Legal Aid is all About CLS started its Christian Legal Aid Program (CLAP) precisely to respond to God's Call to lawyers to do pro Deo work on behalf of the 'least of these' our brethren. Matthew 25:40; Luke 11:46.
Pro Patria Definition
CLAP encourages and trains Christian volunteers-lawyers and other legal professionals- to help remove key legal and other impediments to a fuller life for the poor and homeless through legal and spiritual counseling and legal intervention to prevent or mitigate the consequences of the wrongful denial of jobs, of housing, of food, of medical and of other benefits. Significantly, the preservation of families and services benefiting women and children occupy more than one-half of these voluntary efforts.