Louisiana Adopts A Pro Bono in Lieu of CLE Rule
Louisiana has amended its continuing legal education requirements to allow credit for pro bono service:
Regulation 3.21. Credit may also be earned through providing uncompensated pro bono legal representation to an indigent or near-indigent client or clients. To be eligible for credit, the matter must have been assigned to the Member by a court, a bar association, or a legal services or pro bono organization that has as its primary purpose the furnishing of such pro bono legal services and that has filed a statement with the Louisiana Committee on MCLE. A Member providing such pro bono legal representation shall receive one (1) hour of CLE credit for each five (5) hours of pro bono representation, up to a maximum of three (3) hours of CLE credit for each calendar year. To receive credit, the Member shall submit MCLE Form 6 (“Application for CLE Credit for Pro Bono Services”). [enacted effective May 1, 2015]
Louisiana’s rules of professional conduct provide for voluntary pro bono reporting with an aspirational goal of 50 hours of pro bono service for an attorney in a year. Beginning in Mary, when pro bono representation can be used to fulfil CLE requirements, it will be easier for Louisiana’s attorneys to meet that goal.
This is great news for both attorneys and litigants in Louisiana. The practical experience volunteering with legal services expands an attorney’s practice and expertise, challenging them to remain engaged in the profession. The work may be more relevant than available CLE courses.
Ten years ago, the National Center for State Courts estimated that one-third of cases in lower-level trial courts in this country were conducted with at least one unrepresented party, noting that the number was much higher in some courts, such as domestic relations and landlord-tenant. The Legal Services Corporation re-visited the studies in 2009 and concluded that the rise in un-represented litigants was unabated.
Louisiana’s new pro bono rule can help relieve the pressures on court which come from large numbers of pro se litigants. A similar rule change would benefit Illinois greatly.