Jacqueline Kramer of Clinton County was recognized on February 6, 2012 by the Pennsylvania Bar Association as one of the recipients of its Pro Bono Award. The Pennsylvania Bar Association Legal Services to the Public Committee has presented awards to lawyers deserving special recognition for voluntary efforts to provide free and reduced-fee legal representation to low-income Pennsylvanians for the past quarter century.

Kramer has been volunteering for pro bono referrals from North Penn Legal Services since she began her association with Roberts, Miceli & Boileau, LLP more than two and a half years ago. The firm has been a strong supporter of the pro bono effort in Clinton county and Kramer joined with that commitment. She has never refused a referral that has been sent to her.

Recently she has taken a number of cases in the area of Protection from Abuse. In addition, she had transferred to her, cases from an associate in her office (who was also a valuable volunteer and a former recipient of this award) and she incorporated those into her caseload. The type of cases she has undertaken have had very little, if any, lead time. Usually, she will get a call that a victim of abuse has just had a temporary order entered and the hearing is often scheduled the next day or soon after. These kind of cases require that the attorney devote immediate attention and prepare the case, witnesses and more in a very narrow window of time. Clients report that attorney Kramer is very helpful, kind and competent. The woman’s center in her area sing her praises as being willing to help and a great resource for them and their clients.

At a time when Pennsylvania is dealing with a civil legal aid crisis which sees far more than half the people who make it to a legal aid office and qualify for legal aid being turned away from receiving such help because of a lack of resources, Kramer’s commitment to legal aid and support of pro bono service is a tremendous example for judges, other lawyers and the public at large.

Despite special fees and a loan forgiveness program for civil legal aid attorneys now in its second year, the justice system just does not have the professional resources to meet the growing need for such services in these tough economic times. Kramer knows how important it is that pro bono lawyers take cases and provide donations to significantly extend the resources of legal aid available for the neediest among us and that civil legal aid lawyers continue to work hard despite growing obstacles.

There are nearly 70,000 attorneys licensed in Pennsylvania. According to recently released data from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program, pro bono services by Pennsylvania lawyers provide the annual equivalent service of 61 full-time legal aid lawyers.

Pro bono service cannot replace the work of fully funded legal aid offices. It is only within a well supported legal aid system that there is a structure for organized pro bono service to make a difference. Difficulties abound. As funding for legal aid programming faces cuts in these hard economic times, including a 10% cut in state funding at the start of the new year, the number of persons needing such service continues to grow.

Thanks to the service of lawyers like Jacqueline Kramer, and the work of both civil legal aid and pro bono attorneys around the Commonwealth, there is access to justice for many who otherwise would be without legal representation.