Mid-Shore Pro Bono joined the Oct. 24-30 National Celebration of Pro Bono by recognizing its volunteer attorneys for their work providing access to legal representation for civil matters and the public good.

The nonprofit hosted an Oct. 27 outdoor reception at Legal Assets in Easton, Md. to thank the legal service provider’s volunteer attorneys and student interns, with Mid-Shore Pro Bono Board of Directors members making remarks to thank the top 25 volunteer attorneys as ranked by the number of hours donated to help people through civil legal matters on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

“It’s great to get together with our network of attorneys and student interns to thank them for engaging in pro bono work,” said Mid-Shore Pro Bono Volunteer Attorney and Board of Director President Tim Abeska, Esq. “Mid-Shore Pro Bono offers quality attorneys and quality service for those in our community who need it most.”

Abeska retired after practicing law for nearly 35 years and as a council member of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP of Rock Hall, Md. He has been providing volunteer attorney services with Mid-Shore Pro Bono since 2018.

The National Celebration of Pro Bono is sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Center for Pro Bono Committee to recognize pro bono work as a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment of each lawyer. The ABA says the Committee launched the National Celebration of Pro Bono in 2009 because of the increasing need for pro bono services during harsh economic times and the unprecedented response of attorneys to meet this demand.

America’s legal organizations—including Mid-Shore Pro Bono—have since participated in the National Celebration of Pro Bono every October to draw attention to the need for pro bono participation, and to thank those who give their time year-round.

Mid-Shore Pro Bono includes a growing network of more than 150 volunteer lawyers ensuring access to the legal system and providing free or reduced-fee legal services for those who need legal help on the Eastern Shore. The legal assistance network annually provides nearly $2 million in legal services to more than 3,000 individuals needing legal representation in civil matters.

“The people of the Eastern Shore are extremely fortunate to have the volunteer work of these dedicated attorneys,” said Mid-Shore Pro Bono Executive Director Sandy Brown. “And we are always looking for more attorneys to become volunteers with us and who share our passion for providing access to legal representation in civil matters for everyone, regardless of anyone’s ability to pay.”

Mid-Shore Pro Bono’s Board of Directors announced Sandy Brown is stepping down at the end of the year after serving as the nonprofit legal assistance organization’s longest-standing Executive Director for the last 13 years. The Board announced in early November that Managing Attorney Meredith Girard will begin as Executive Director in January 2022.

Mid-Shore Pro Bono serves residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore through a growing network of volunteer attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants, with offices in Easton, Chestertown, and Salisbury. More about becoming a volunteer or receiving legal services is at  www.midshoreprobono.org. More about the American Bar Association’s Center for Pro Bono is at www.americanbar.org/groups/center-pro-bono.