Pennsylvania Bar Association President Kathleen D. Wilkinson, Esquire, has announced the openning of nominations for the 2022 PA Bar Association Pro Bono Awards, presented annually by the PBA’s Legal Service to the Public Committee.

This year marks the 35th year that the committee has sought individual award nominees. This year also marks the eighteenth year for both the Judges Award and the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year Award, given, respectively, to a judge and a legal services attorney selected by the committee in recognition of exceptional contributions to improving civil legal aid in the commonwealth. The Judges Award is now named the Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille Award in honor of the Chief Justice Emeritus.

2022 also marks the twelfth year for the Pro Bono Partner Award to a non-attorney who supports legal services to the needy. That award has been named the Danna Rich-Collins Award in honor of the long serving North Penn Legal Aid paralegal who retired this year after 46 years of service.

The 2022 Pro Bono Awards nominations are due on Thursday, December 17, 2021. The award winners will be acknowledged at various pro bono events throughout the 2022 year by current PBA President Wilkinson and by PBA President-Elect Jay Silberblatt.

When selecting nominees for the awards, please keep in mind the following criteria:

• The nominee works in Pennsylvania.
• The nominee, other than the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year nominees, is not employed by an organization that has as its primary purpose the provision of free legal services to the poor. The Pro Bono Partner nominee may work for such an organization.
• The nominee has provided direct delivery of legal services or assisted in facilitating the delivery of such service in civil matters, with no expectation of receiving a fee, to a client or client group that does not have the resources to employ compensated counsel or has worked to facilitate such effort by other attorneys.
• The nominee has made an outstanding contribution to the provision of legal services to the indigent without charge.
• The nominee has made such contributions primarily through organized pro bono programs, lawyer referral service no-fee panels and legal services programs or has worked with such organizations to improve the delivery of legal services to the poor.
• The nominee’s efforts have resulted in the increased access to legal services for low-income people.

This year’s nomination form is located on the PBA website at https://www.pabar.org/site/For-Lawyers/Pro-Bono-Services/Pro-Bono-Awards (just click on "2022 Nomination Form"). The form can be completed electronically, and you will receive instant confirmation that your nomination has been received. If there are any questions regarding the Pro Bono Awards, please contact Pro Bono Coordinator David Keller Trevaskis (800-932-0311, Ext. 2236; cell: (717) 571-7414; email: david.trevaskis@pabar.org.

This is your chance to recognize and thank those who have used their talents to help the needy in your county and beyond. While the obstacles to equal access to justice continue, the willingness of attorneys and others to help meet the legal needs of the indigent in their communities is important to those in need of service and bestows honor upon our great profession.

Nomination Form