Calling all Connecticut attorneys.

Due to the ongoing health pandemic, the Connecticut Bar Association launched CBA Pro Bono Connect to encourage attorneys to volunteer their time and sign up to receive case referrals from the state's civil legal service providers.

Bar association president Ndidi Moses hopes at least 10% of the association's 10,000 members sign up to help.

"I'd love to see 1,000 attorneys at a minimum, although I know that is ambitious," Moses said. "But it's so important that we fill the need and address the issues that have been caused by the pandemic."

Those issues and concerns, bar association vice president and pro-bono committee vice chairperson Cecil Thomas said, are many.

And they've increased during the COVID-19 crisis.

"The courts have limited functions, and the hard-hit areas we've been hearing about are family-related issues—like domestic violence and food and housing—is a significant concern," said Thomas, also an attorney with Greater Hartford Legal Aid.

Thomas noted there is a statewide moratorium on evictions until July 1 but, if that is not lifted, he said, "we can see a significant increase in the number of evictions."

Thomas said he expects an outpouring of support among lawyers. He also said that "attorneys have an ethical obligation to help out."

Thomas noted that Rule 6.1 of the Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct states attorneys should take part in public interest legal service and that one way to do that is to offer their time pro bono.

Thomas said there are "thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands of people" in the state that might need legal representation. He pointed to statistics the bar association culled from different sources showing that many low-income individuals represent themselves, making it harder to win a case.

Those statistics show that 90% of tenants nationally are self-represented and they are most likely to go up against landlords with attorneys. In addition, according to the bar association's website, 73% of homeowners facing foreclosure in Connecticut are self-represented, and in more than 85% of family cases in the state, at least one party is self-represented.

Attorneys interested in taking advantage of the association's Pro Bono Connect program can go to www.ctbar.org and sign up. Attorneys are asked to list their area of interest, which can include housing, immigration, education and family issues, among others. They will receive a case referral from one of the state's civil legal service providers. There is no limit on how many cases an attorney can take on.

The bar association, Thomas noted, will also provide free webinar training and materials to interested attorneys.

"Attorneys often get a bad rap. This is a way to paint a different picture for ourselves," Moses said. "People can be made aware of why lawyers are so crucial and important, especially today."

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