On behalf of the Committee on Pro Bono & Legal Services of the New York City Bar Association, I write to extend an invitation to all junior associates at your firm to attend New Associates Pro Bono Day at the House of Association on December 12, 2005.

Pro Bono Day is an annual half-day of CLE-accredited instruction in pro bono-related disciplines that is open to all first- and second-year lawyers in New York City. Our goal is to encourage junior associates to take on pro bono matters and to give them some of the skills that they can use when they do so. Although our focus is on younger attorneys, more senior lawyers are also welcome to attend. The event has become an annual tradition in New York City and several hundred associates from New York City firms have attended each event in the past few years.

This year, Pro Bono Day will be held on the afternoon of Monday, December 12, 2005, at the New York City Bar Association at 42 West 44th Street. The event begins at 2pm and will run until 6pm with a one-hour cocktail reception to follow. As in years past, associates will be able to choose two from among eight different CLE courses, split into two sessions of ninety minutes each. This year, our first session offerings include Asylum Law, Housing Law, Lifetime Planning for the Elderly, and Pro Bono Assistance in Disaster Relief Efforts. Our second session offerings include Forming and Advising Non-Profits, Criminal Appeals, Environmental Justice in New York City and Legal Issues Facing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community. More detailed course descriptions are included in the attached schedule of events.

Pro Bono Day is a little less than two months away, and now is the perfect time to begin letting your associates know about it and to invite them to register for the event. Attached to this e-mail is a schedule of the day's events, as well as a registration form.

Please forward the schedule and the registration form to your junior associates and ask them to register for the event by filling out the form and returning it directly to my assistant Kate Rose by e-mail at krose@stblaw.com, or by faxing the form to Ms. Rose's attention at (212) 455-2502. To facilitate the process, below is the text of a sample e-mail or memo that you may wish to forward to your associates to explain Pro Bono Day and the registration process.

As the event approaches, I will be in contact with you again to ask that you follow up with your associates and to encourage their participation.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact Kate Rose at (212) 455-7669 if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Jason Stone
Secretary, Committee on Pro Bono & Legal Services, NYCBA