Hon. Richard B. Teitelman Memorial St. Louis Pro Bono Challenge

The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) are excited and proud to continue the St. Louis Pro Bono Challenge, a program that launched in 2017 to encourage law firms to help expand the availability of pro bono legal services in the St. Louis area.

Did you know?

• More than 80% of low-income litigants in the United States go it alone because they are priced out of the legal market.
• Nearly 60% of small business owners who had a legal issue did not hire a lawyer for that problem.
• People at all income levels often do not obtain effective legal assistance either because of insufficient financial resources or a lack of knowledge about when legal problems exist that require resolution through legal representation.
• State courts are at "saturation level" of pro se litigants.

The Pledge

Law firms that sign the St. Louis Pro Bono Challenge Pledge promise to make a commitment to the provision of pro bono legal services in the St. Louis area by actively seeking opportunities to provide pro bono services, setting specific goals for yearly pro bono work, and encouraging firm-wide participation in pro bono initiatives.

Each quarter, firms will report their pro bono hours. To publicize the efforts and achievements of lawyers performing pro bono work in our community, BAMSL will highlight in the St. Louis Lawyer magazine the firms that have signed the St. Louis Pro Bono Challenge Pledge and will report on the firms' progress toward their goals on a quarterly basis. File Quarterly Report

BAMSL and LSEM also will recognize local lawyers who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to providing pro bono legal services by highlighting the St. Louis Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month in the St. Louis Lawyer. A committee will select the volunteer to be recognized each month. To submit a nomination, click here.
 

Thank you to the firms who joined the 2020 Challenge:

• Brown & Crouppen, P.C.
• Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
• Capes Sokol
• Crawford IP Law
• Dentons US LLP
• Dowd Bennett LLP
• Fox Smith LLC
• Garnholz | Sparks
• Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C.
• The Gunn Law Firm, P.C.
• Husch Blackwell LLP
• The Jacob Law Firm, LLC
• Lashly & Baer, P.C.
• Lathrop GPM LLP
• Littler Mendelson P.C.
• Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
• Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal, P.C.
• The Perron Law Firm P.C.
• Polsinelli PC
• RCJ Law, LLC
• The Simon Law Firm, P.C.
• Stinson LLP
• Thompson Coburn LLP

To sign the pledge, click here.