The first interactive pro bono mobile app is now available to Arkansas pro bono attorneys free of charge through iTunes. With the release of iProBono, the tagline 'Pro Bono Wherever You Go' has never been truer.

Now through their iPhone, licensed Arkansas attorneys can view pro bono cases representing low-income Arkansans, sort through those cases based on legal topic and county, and request cases with a push of a button.

Attorney and Pine Bluff native William McShane “Shane” Bridgforth has been selected the 2011 Jefferson County VOCALS Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, according to VOCALS Pro Bono Coordinator Donna Ramsey.  The Volunteer Organization for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services awards the honor each year to an attorney who demonstrates outstanding commitment to providing pro bono service to low-income residents of the Jefferson County.  “Shane is always ready to step in and assist our clients in settling their legal matters,” said Ramsey.  “He is a great asset to our VOCALS panel.” 

Bridgforth, who is a partner at Ramsay, Bridgforth, Robinson & Raley, has handled a total of 41 VOCALS cases over the course of his legal career.  His clients—none of whom had the financial resources to hire a private attorney—have included domestic violence victims and non-parental caregivers of young children.

A Thanksgiving dinner will be served, and clothing, haircuts and other services will be provided for the homeless at the Hall of Industry, which is located on the Arkansas State Fair Grounds. The Center for Arkansas Legal Services and the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation will provide information on legal issues and have lawyers on hand to answer questions from homeless individuals. 

Arkansas attorneys helped prepare more than 200 legal documents for firefighters, police officers, emergency health care workers, and their spouses and families at the UALR Bowen School of Law and the Fayetteville Town Center last week. 

In celebration of National Pro Bono Week, approximately 75 attorneys from multiple organizations, law firms, and bar associations provided free legal advice and services to first responders in central and northwest Arkansas. Attorneys volunteered to prepare simple wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney for health care and financial matters.  With the assistance of students from the UALR Bowen School of Law and University of Arkansas School of Law as well as volunteer notaries, first responders and their spouses were able to leave with important end-of-life legal documents.