ABA to fund startup projects to hire new and underutilized lawyers
The ABA has announced it will award $40,000 in Catalyst Grants to groups with proposed programs to hire new and underutilized lawyers.
The grants will be awarded to bar associations, courts, law schools and other groups planning innovative programs to provide for unmet legal needs of poor and moderate-income individuals, according to an ABA press release.
The grants are intended to help startup projects rather than to provide an ongoing source of funding. The application deadline is April 17.
Last year’s grant recipients included Legal Aid of Arkansas ($15,000), which provides fellowships for new lawyers to represent clients in rural areas for one year; the Vermont Bar Association ($15,000), which launched the Solo and Small Firm Incubator Program; and the Oakland County (Michigan) Bar Association ($5,400), which has collaborated with legal-aid groups to create a pro bono mentor match program.
