Farmers and livestock producers, like everybody else, are not exempt from finding themselves in times of financial hardship or in need of legal advice and representation. In these situations it is beneficial to know effective ways to seek out sources of free or pro bono legal services. Pro bono legal services are available covering most legal issues. The American Bar Association and all state bar associations strongly encourage practicing attorneys to donate their time and services back to their community by way of performing pro bono services. There are several effective ways to locate a pro bono attorney. The first method that will be discussed is the use of the internet as a research tool for locating pro bono legal services. Before mentioning any specific sites or giving any web addresses, it must be stated that the authors do not intend to imply sponsorship of or any association with the persons or entities who created these sites. These websites are provided as a starting point for your research and do not reflect all sources available.
A good resource to utilize when beginning your search is FarmLaw’s resource page (http://www.farmlaw.com/resources.html). This website has a pro bono links section. Another agricultural law resource is the Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Incorporated’s web page (http://www.flaginc.org). Both of these websites link to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Center for Pro Bono and Public Services. The ABA’s Center for Pro Bono and Public Services website has links to pro bono services available for each state in the country (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/directory.html). In addition to these sites, using search engines such as Google (http://www.google.com), DogPile (http://www.dogpile.com), and Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) can be another useful way to seek out information regarding potential pro bono legal services. When using search engines, it is useful to make your search as detailed as possible in order to return useful information. One very useful website is the National Agricultural Law Center (www.nationalaglawcenter.org). This website is divided into reading rooms on a variety of different subjects in which the producer can find links to various federal, state, and local laws, statutes, regulations, and court decisions on a wide variety of agricultural law topics.
Another way to search for pro bono legal services is to call your state bar association. The telephone numbers for your state bar association should be available by calling information. Most state bar associations are located in the capital city. State bar associations often have booklets or pamphlets containing useful information on available pro bono services as well as summaries and frequently asked questions about common areas of law. In addition, legal referral services available through the state bar association might be able to tell you what pro bono services are available in your state as well as any local bar chapters in your area. Make sure when you are discussing your matter with a prospective pro bono attorney that he fully understands your legal situation as well as your financial situation. This will be beneficial to both you and the attorney in determining whether he/she can help you with your legal issues.
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