Sent by email to North Carolina attorneys on March 23, 2018.

Dear North Carolina Attorney,

We are fortunate to be a part of a profession working toward the ideal of equal justice under law, which is one of the ultimate goals of our legal system. One integral way that we as North Carolina lawyers move closer to this ideal is through providing pro bono legal services to the citizens of our state who are unable to afford private representation. This important activity is so integral to our profession that it is enshrined in our Rules of Professional Conduct: Rule 6.1 encourages attorneys to provide at least fifty hours of pro bono legal services annually.

Acknowledging the importance of this work, the Supreme Court of North Carolina established the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society, honoring attorneys who report at least fifty hours of pro bono legal services in a given year. Last year, we inducted a cohort of 170 members, each of whom received a certificate from the Court recognizing his or her achievement.

We look forward to celebrating this good work once again. The North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, an initiative of the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission, is capturing information about all of the activities encouraged by Rule 6.1 – but your time to report is running out. To submit information about your 2017 pro bono activity, please complete a short reporting form at ncprobono.org/volunteer/reporting by the upcoming deadline, March 31, 2018.

I encourage you to share information about your pro bono work with us to give us a picture of how our state is coming together to increase access to justice and to allow us to celebrate your efforts.

Please join me in spreading the word about the good work being done by North Carolina attorneys.

Best regards,

Mark Martin
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of North Carolina