U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire
CONCORD – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire launched the newest location for the Federal Government Pro Bono Program this week, bringing the 30-year institution to the Granite State during National Pro Bono Month. The New Hampshire Branch of the Federal Government Pro Bono Program will connect federal attorneys and paraprofessionals with legal service organizations in New Hamphsire to assist those in need across the Granite State. Today, those legal service organizations and interested federal employees met in the first ever New Hampshire Federal Pro Bono Program Fair.
“Public service for many at the U.S. Attorney’s Office means not only holding lawbreakers in New Hampshire accountable and recovering precious taxpayer resources illegitimately obtained through fraud or other schemes, but it also means doing what we can in our individual capacities to serve our fellow Granite Staters,” said Erin Creegan, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. “With the launch of New Hampshire’s Federal Government Pro Bono Program, we hope to establish sustained partnerships with New Hampshire legal service organizations that can have a positive impact for our citizens faced with navigating the legal landscape and court systems on their own. We will continue to look for more opportunities for federal attorneys and paraprofessionals to volunteer for Granite Staters in need.”
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan speaks with Ariel Clemmer, Executive Director of 603 Legal Aid during the federal employees pro bono program launch
Legal Service Organizations participating in today’s pro bono fair included: Administer Justice Saturday Legal Clinic, Court Appointed Special Advocates New Hampshire (CASA), 603 Legal Aid, New Hampshire Bar Association, New Hampshire Legal Assistance, and Veterans Legal Justice. Speakers at the event included U.S. Department of Justice Pro Bono Program Manager and Chair of the Federal Government Pro Bono Program Lara Eilhardt, as well as New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Melissa B. Countway. Justice Countway spoke to interested federal practitioners about the value of pro bono, and the practice in New Hampshire state courts.
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire
New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Melissa B. Countway speaking at the federal employees pro bono program launch
Federal government attorneys have engaged in pro bono work since the 1970s. In 1996, with the issuance of Executive Order 12988, the Department of Justice began to lead federal agencies in creating policies encouraging their staff to volunteer. The Order assigned the Attorney General to coordinate the government-wide endeavor. The U.S. Department of Justice administers today’s Federal Government Pro Bono Program. Other branches of the Program outside New Hampshire include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Colorado, the National Capital area, Los Angeles, Maryland, New York City, Dallas, and the San Francisco Bay area. For more information about the Federal Government Pro Bono Program, generally and in New Hampshire, see https://www.justice.gov/jmd/pro-bono-program, and the New Hampshire Federal Volunteer Guide.