Commission Chair Chuck Goldner speaks at the Professional Practicum
Since 2005, every new lawyer in Arkansas has had to complete the Professional Practicum.
According to the per curiam opinion that created the Practicum, “the purpose of the Professional Practicum is to enhance the public's confidence in the legal profession and to promote lawyers' professionalism and ethical conduct.”
This full day of CLE instruction provides an overview of a lawyer's role as "an officer of the court and as a member of the Bar, and lawyers' relation to community, clients, and courts, and may include topics regarding the professional and ethical implications of private and non-private practice.”
The Arkansas Access to Justice Commission has participated in the Practicum for the past two years, providing a 1 hour segment on the requirements of pro bono service under Rule 6.1.
This year the Practicum featured a 1 hour ethics CLE from Prof. Chuck Goldner, Chair of the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission, and Colette Honorable, Arkansas Public Service Commissioner. They provided a joint presentation about the need for legal services funding and pro bono volunteerism.
Legal aid employees Heidi Jamison, Angie Moore, and Susan Purtle coordinated pro bono recruitment at the event. They spoke with an estimated 150 of the 210 attendees and had 18 new attorneys sign up to take pro bono cases.
