Lawyers Giving Back

Pro Bono Mentor Program

Mentoring has long played an integral role in the success of Texas pro bono programs. Through mentoring, volunteer attorneys who lack experience in a particular legal area rely on the advice and counsel of more experienced attorneys to ensure competent representation of pro bono clients.

A mentor can help by:

• Reviewing documents
• Discussing professional and ethical issues
• Providing procedural and legal advice
• Assisting in court or depositions
• Advising on time and case management strategies

Attorneys participating in the Pro Bono Mentor Program can earn up to 5 hours of participatory MCLE credit, including one hour of ethics, annually, for time spent in consultations between the mentor and the protege.

Individual attorneys who receive MCLE credit under this program must serve as a pro bono mentor or mentee under the auspices of a provider of legal services to the poor, which meets at least one of the following criteria:

[a] a Texas recipient of Legal Services Corporation funds; or
[b] a recipient of Texas Access to Justice Foundation funds; or
[c] a Texas non-profit or governmental entity that provides civil legal services if at least 50% of the services provided are free and benefit Texans whose income is 175% of federal poverty guidelines or less.
The Legal Services Support Division will determine legal services program eligibility according to the above criteria.

To participate in the program, the mentor and mentee must qualify under the program guidelines. The pro bono coordinator must also submit a completed Pro Bono Mentor Program Application [PDF] to the Legal Access Division (LAD).

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