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California May Propel In-House Pro Bono Changes in Other States

Law 360
November 25, 2018

With California looking to ease the way for in-house attorneys to donate legal services, access to justice advocates hope rule changes in the largest U.S. legal market will put momentum behind similar reforms in other states with heavy concentrations of corporate legal teams.

The California State Bar Board of Trustees is now considering a new allowance for registered in-house counsel — out-of-jurisdiction lawyers limited to representing their companies — to do pro bono work under the supervision of that entity or an eligible legal aid organization. The proposed changes would also eliminate the need for those in-house lawyers to separately register as a legal aid attorney and pay a fee.

Eve Runyon of the Pro Bono Institute said that, after California, her sights are set on corporate-focused Maryland and North Carolina.

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