Iowa attorneys give more than 15,000 hours in pro bono work

The Des Moines Register

December 18, 2009

Iowa attorneys were honored as part of Pro Bono Legal Services Week, in the last week of October.

Approximately 2,900 Iowa lawyers donate some of their time to individual cases through organized pro bono efforts. In 2008, the number of hours donated was slightly more than 15,000. The value of that time was approximately $2.1 million, according to Brett Toresdahl, executive director of the Iowa State Bar Association Public Service Project.


In addition, lawyers provide hours of pro bono time in their offices that go unreported, Toresdahl said.

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Comment:

Pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the public good". The term is generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms. Pro bono service, unlike traditional volunteerism, uses the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them.

Enough said, with the economy's mood, free things sure comes a long way. Happy Holidays! ^_^

NEWS:Legal Services Firm Grows to 16 Locations With AltiGen Unified Communications Solution Marketwire

Firefly Legal Inc. Integrates Offices in 16 Cities With AltiGen Voice-Over-IP

December 07, 2009: 04:05 PM ET

AltiGen Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATGN), the leading provider of integrated Microsoft-based Unified Communications solutions, announced today that Firefly Legal Inc. has now deployed AltiGen's software-based Voice-over-IP solution in 16 cities across the U.S.

Firefly offers associate legal services to attorneys nationwide. From process serving to court filing, expedited courier services to skip tracing and searches, Firefly has earned a reputation for reliable personal services and results delivered efficiently with integrity every time. For Firefly, being a leader in their industry means being the best possible support system for their clients. Headquartered in Mokena, Illinois, Firefly has remained a leader through partnership, growing rapidly from two offices to 16 locations in just over five years. 

"AltiGen's solution is easy to implement, easy to expand and very agile when you want to make changes," said Firefly's CIO Cliff Dillman. "When we replaced a Nortel system with AltiGen at our headquarters five and a half years ago, AltiGen's local dealer Inacomp involved our IT team in the installation. In the new offices we have opened since, we simply call them to stage and ship a MaxCommunications Server (MaxCS) system directly to the new location. Our IT team then installs and manages the system, allowing us to save significantly on our communication costs. AltiGen's Enterprise Manager lets us automatically make extension and system changes to all 16 systems from a single application."

In addition to rapid deployment, AltiGen's software-based solution has provided the company with tools to ensure optimum client support. Incoming calls are centrally routed to a dedicated client support center utilizing AlitGen's call center applications.....

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Comment:

Talk about fast and on the go, we can now get the service we need "when" we want them and how we want them just like our cup of coffee. The complex and time wasting process of getting the right information will now be a thing of the past. Hope this legal service offering is provided to us mere commoners and more companies offer these kind of service. As a citizen, how else do you think can legal services be provided at a lower cost?