The Adams and Reese Columbia office held its second pro bono-thon in a “Spring 2015 Friday Blitz” on Friday, March 27, as eight attorneys and 10 law students answered more than 55 legal questions using the South Carolina Bar’s Law Answers program. The event followed up on the success of the inaugural event in October.
The project was in conjunction with the South Carolina Bar and University of South Carolina School of Law. Volunteer lawyers from SCANA assisted with the project.
The SC Law Answers program allows individuals in the state of South Carolina who meet certain eligibility requirements to receive free legal advice using an easy-to-use online program. The SC Bar pre-screens individuals for users who have household income less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level; do not have liquid assets exceeding $5,000 in value (including checking and savings account balances, as well as the value of any stocks or bonds); are not incarcerated; and do not request assistance with criminal law matters.
Adams and Reese attorneys donated 6,135 pro bono hours in 2014, and Columbia office attorneys donated 382 hours of that total. In the last five years, Adams and Reese attorneys have donated more than 30,000 pro bono hours.
The Adams and Reese employee volunteer program, HUGS (Hope, Understanding, Giving, and Support), was founded in 1988 and has since devoted financial resources and thousands of volunteer hours to offer assistance to those in need. Every year throughout Adams and Reese’s regional footprint, employees donate time, money and supplies to more than 200 community organizations in need.