The Pennsylvania Bar Associaton Legal Services to the Public Committee is accepting nominations for the 2011 Pro Bono Awards.

This is the 24th year that the committee is seeking individual award nominees and the seventh year it is seeking nominees for the "Judges Award" and the "Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year Award," which are presented in recognition of exceptional contributions to improving civil legal aid in the commonwealth.

Criteria for the awards include:

• The lawyer or judge practices in Pennsylvania.
   
• The lawyer, other than the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year nominees, is not employed by an organization that has as its primary purpose the provision of free legal services to the poor.
   
• The lawyer or judge has provided direct delivery of legal services or assisted in facilitating the delivery of such service in civil matters, with no expectation of receiving a fee, to a client or client group that does not have the resources to employ compensated counsel or has worked to facilitate such effort by other attorneys.
   
• The lawyer or judge has made an outstanding contribution to the provision of legal services to the indigent without charge.
   
• The lawyer or judge has made such contributions primarily through organized pro bono programs, lawyer referral service no-fee panels and legal services programs or has worked with such organizations to improve the delivery of legal services to the poor.
   
• The lawyer’s or judge’s efforts have resulted in the increased access to legal services for low-income people.

The 2011 Pro Bono Awards nominations are due on April 15, 2011, and the awardees will be announced on Law Day, May 1, 2011.

This is your chance to recognize and thank lawyers and judges who have used their talents to help the needy. Download the nomination form.

For more information, send an e-mail to the PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis.