Pro Bono Program

    Since it's inception in 1993, the Ninth Circuit's Pro Bono Program has grown from 10 cases per year to approximately 160.  The program's tremendous success is due to the hard work of the many attorneys and law schools that have volunteered their time and expertise. If you are an attorney and interested in volunteering, please review the information provided on this web site, then complete the attorney sign-up form (provided in the appendices) and submit it to one of the district coordinators. 

DISTRICT VOLUNTEER PANELS

    Each of the districts in the circuit have a district coordinator who recruits volunteer attorneys for the program, maintains the current list of volunteers, and locates individual attorneys to accept specific appointments. The district coordinator is generally the chair of that district's delegation of attorney representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference or is someone named by that person.  (A list of the district coordinators and their contact information is provided with the attorney sign-up form, which is included in the appendices.)

    The district coordinators recruit volunteers through a variety of methods. Advertisements or announcements in local bar association newsletters or at local bar events have proved very successful in recruiting volunteers. Word of mouth works well in smaller legal communities. Another important resource is the annual class of new lawyer representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, who can be recruited to volunteer for appointments and/or to recruit their colleagues to do so.

    The Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representatives, together with the Ninth Circuit Senior Advisory Board, have made a commitment to participation in the program, both in terms of volunteering to accept appointments and assisting in the recruitment of other volunteer attorneys. The Lawyer Representatives Coordinating Committee and the Senior Advisory Board sponsored a joint resolution urging circuit-wide participation in the program by the private bar, which was adopted by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in August, 1993. The resolution as adopted is included in the appendices.

    The scope of the commitment asked of the volunteer attorneys is fairly limited. Given the number of appeals selected for inclusion in the program, between five and ten per month circuit wide, each volunteer should expect to be called upon no more than once annually to accept an appointment. In addition, the limited scope of the representation of a litigant on appeal is very attractive as a manageable pro bono commitment. Finally, the commitment to hearing oral argument in these cases, the reimbursement of qualifying expenses and the pre-screening of the appeals selected for the program provide strong incentives for participation.