Attorneys and paralegals interested in picking up some organized pro bono work have an opportunity to help out this month when the Connecticut Bar Association hosts two pro bono clinics in New Britain and Bridgeport.

The first clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Connecticut Bar Association Law Center, 30 Bank St., New Britain, and the second will be Thursday, Oct. 24, also from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bridgeport Public Library North Branch, 3455 Madison Ave., Bridgeport.

"The pro bono clinics will give our busy member attorneys an opportunity to give back," said CBA Executive Director Keith J. Soressi. "Year-round, we direct citizens who come into the Law Center to lawyer referral sources."

This month's clinics offer a chance to work with pro bono clients who have already been through a screening process, which CBA handles, according to the CBA President-elect Amy Lin Meyerson, a Weston solo who chairs the bar's pro bono committee.

"We reach out to all of the legal aid organizations in Connecticut to get the word out, and we'll be seeing clients they are otherwise unable to assist," Meyerson said. "Many attorneys who have come to our pro bono clinics have found it very rewarding and have come back to serve the community, which has been great."

Jennifer Zakrzewski, chairwoman of the pro bono clinic subcommittee, added that participation involves "a short, one-time commitment that can help those who are seeking help get pointed in the right direction. A small amount of time can greatly impact someone's life."

Clients sign up for the service through the CBA's website. "When they register they put a little bit of information about their legal issue, and our paralegal section will talk to the clients to see if they meet the criteria for the clinic," Meyerson said. "Then we make sure we have a volunteer attorney to staff for the time that they come in."

Attorneys are being sought in all areas, including bankruptcy, consumer law, family law, immigration law, landlord-tenant, pardons, small business and tax law. Volunteers provide brief legal advice to members of the public who have preregistered. Services will be limited to half-hour sessions, and the volunteer has no obligation to offer further assistance after the clinic.

"I think there are still a lot of people, especially low-income individuals, who are in need of assistance," Meyerson said. "We and our partner organizations are doing the best we can to make sure their needs are being met."

Attorneys are asked to sign up in advance for two-hour shifts—either 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registrants are asked to sign up by Oct. 15.

The CBA's pro bono section is one of more than 70 sections and committees producing 300-plus programs each year. The pro bono clinics are offered in partnership with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut in observance of the American Bar Association's National Celebration of Pro Bono, which takes place Oct. 20-26.