ABA's online help to people interested in pro bono services

08/17/07

ABA's online help to people interested in pro bono services

Attorneys who are interested in finding volunteer or pro bono work can look up the online National Pro Bono Opportunities Guide put up by the American Bar Association, which lists more than 1,100 of these programs. These sites are the Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, the ABA Center for Pro Bono and Pro Bono Net where attorneys can search the site based on location, area of law and the population served. They can also identify projects that require their skills and experience with features highlighting opportunities for transactional lawyers, litigators, law students, and others. ABA President Karen J. Mathis stated the site has been developed with the aim to facilitate lawyers to identify pro bono opportunities and "respond to the challenge of providing assistance" to those people whose income is limited and whose legal needs cannot be fulfilled. He also said that pro bono service had "always been an integral part of the legal profession." The site also offers the opportunity to state and local bar associations, as well as community-based nonprofit organizations to add or update information to ensure that the lists stay up to date and accurate.

Leake & Andersson takes Lafayette firm Roy Bivins into its fold
The law firm of Leake & Andersson has merged operations with the Lafayette firm of Roy, Bivins, Judice, Roberts & Wartelle. The merger is a win-win for both firms which will help both firms to offer services to clients all over the State. The new firm will practice as Leake & Andersson and its 25 attorneys and 35 support personnel will operate out of the New Orleans and Lafayette offices. Four of the named attorneys of the earlier firm, Harmon Roy with his five decades of experience, John Bivins, Philip Roberts, and Pat Wartelle will now practice as Leake & Andersson. Only the fifth partner, Ronnie Judice will practice privately. Paul Andersson, senior partner in the new firm stated that the new Lafayette office would help the firms to serve clients more efficiently as well as boost its "statewide litigation and counseling effectiveness." Leake & Andersson is specialist in litigation and general business practice law. The firm also acts as counsel nationwide for clients facing legal issues in class action and mass tort cases.

BIZARRE NEWS

Telstra employee re-employed after being sacked for sexual harassment
Carlie Streeter, a Telstra employee in Australia who was sacked on grounds of making love with two male colleagues while embarrassing other female colleagues who cowered meters away, was provided compensation and her job back. After a 25 February "belated Christmas party" organized by Telstra employee Daniela Hyett, three of Streeter's female colleagues, including Hyett, moved into a room in Rydges hotel - where four staff were booked into one room for the night. They were awoken when Streeter entered the room along with two male employees and got into the bath with them. Testifying before the Industrial Relations Commission, Hyett said that when she got up to use the loo, she found the bath locked. Eventually, when Streeter opened the door, Hyett found the male colleagues naked in the bath. Streeter then gracefully hopped back into the bath leaving Hyett to urinate in public view. After an investigation into the revelry, Telstra promptly fired Streeter for sexually harassing her colleagues by "having sex in the room and being in the bath with the two males, and failing to treat Ms Hyett with respect by being present while she urinated." However, the commission ruled Streeter's act as not enough to constitute sexual harassment. It directed Telstra to re-employ Streeter and pay compensation equal to any lost remuneration, which may have resulted from her sacking. Telstra, which has sacked three more employees, plans to appeal against the order to reinstate Streeter.