The Atlanta Lawyer December 2018 / January 2019 | Page 22

Legal Aid Pro Bono’s New Website
Bridges Justice Gap For Georgia Clients
By Laura Rashidi-Yazd
Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Director of Pro
Bono Legal Services
[e-mail]
Do your goals for 2019 include
more pro bono work? If so, the
Atlanta Legal Aid Society can
help! Legal Aid Pro Bono re-
cently launched its new website,
LegalAidProBono.org. It is an
online tool that makes it easier
for volunteers across Georgia to
connect with meaningful pro bono
opportunities.
Approximately 25% of metro At-
lanta’s 5.7M residents currently
live below the poverty guide-
22
December 2018/January 2019
line. Across Georgia, low income
households experience an average
of three legal needs a year – which
totals about 2M legal needs each
year. With the state of Georgia
having approximately 31,000 ac-
tive attorneys and 1,000 emeri-
tus attorneys, there is absolutely
something that can be done to
alleviate these hardships. That is
where the new Legal Aid Pro Bono
website comes in.
“The new website expands the
scope and reach of pro bono by
helping bridge the justice gap and
providing equal access to all. Vol-
unteers can find projects that meet
their interests while supporting
the critical needs of Georgia cli-
ents,” says Laurie Rashidi, Atlanta
Legal Aid Society’s Director of Pro
Bono Legal Services.
The website LegalAidProBono.org
works by matching client needs
and volunteer skills. Volunteers
can browse projects that fit their