Signature Events
Philadelphia VIP hosts events to recruit new volunteers, train existing volunteers, and honor dedicated volunteers. For specific dates of events, please visit the Calendar of Events.
Philadelphia VIP Hosts 2012 Pro Bono Opportunities Day
PHILADELPHIA (November 2012) – Philadelphia VIP sponsored its annual CLE training, Pro Bono Opportunities Day (PBOD), at the Philadelphia Bar Association on October 23, 2012. Pro Bono Opportunities Day was a chance for more than 30 attorneys, ranging from first year associates to seasoned practitioners, to gather and learn about important ethical issues that attorneys may encounter when representing low-income clients pro bono in the city of Philadelphia. The event began with a networking breakfast with judges from the First Judicial District of PA, followed by a keynote address given by the Honorable Timothy R. Rice. Judge Rice emphasized the importance of pro bono service and the commitment attorneys should have to justice in the legal profession. His remarks provided the framework for an ethics training where the attorneys first participated in a poverty simulation. Led by former Philadelphia VIP Executive Director Sharon Browning, and with help from VIP staff, each lawyer was assigned the role of a low-income client and experienced firsthand the challenges many Philadelphians who are in need of legal services face. Trainers Andrew Boczkowski, The Honorable Denis Cohen and Mary Gay Scanlon followed the simulation by providing attorneys with an overview of ethical issues in the pro bono context, as well as practical solutions for those issues. VIP now has more than 30 trained volunteers to serve its clients who are in the utmost need of legal services.
Honorable Judge Rice and VIP Executive Director Sara Woods
Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono in Philadelphia, was founded in 1981 by the Philadelphia Bar Association and Community Legal Services to meet the legal needs of low-income Philadelphians by recruiting and training attorneys to provide pro bono legal services for individuals, families, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Today, VIP’s diverse volunteers serve more than 3,000 clients annually with legal issues that affect basic human needs.
