Low Bono Section

The Low Bono Section is a community for lawyers, law students, and other professionals who are committed to providing, promoting, and learning about low bono services.

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The Low Bono Section offers many resources and benefits for members. On this page you will find information about the section, their upcoming events and offerings, as well as information about the section's executive committee.

Upcoming Programs

NEW Webinar! Mastering MS Word for Legal Professionals: Essential Features for Contract Work

Register Now!

Developed in partnership with the WSBA Low Bono Section

This seminar will cover:

• The prevalence of MS Word in legal document preparation
• Statistics on usage in contract negotiations
• The need for advanced MS Word skills in legal practice
• Overview of key features for efficient contract work

When: Jan. 16, 2025

Time: Noon–1:30 p.m. PT

Credits: 1.50 Law & Legal Procedure

Register Online Now!

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Past Programs

Webinar: Review of Minor Guardianship — Review of the 2021 Law Changes

Developed in partnership with the WSBA Low Bono Section

Celeste Miller hosts a 1.5-hour webinar on the new Uniform Guardianship Act, covering the portion of the act governing custodial guardianships of minor children. The act makes significant changes to the previous third party (nonparent) custody laws by eliminating RCW 26.10, by replacing it with article 2 of RCW 11.130. Third party custody will be referred to as guardianship of a minor.

Faculty: Celeste Miller, King County Bar Association, Seattle

Watch the Video 1 hour, 30 minutes

This video is not accredited for CLE credit.

Webinar: Sister Helen Prejean: Justice Advocate and Author of Dead Man Walking

Because of the extraordinary importance of the content provided, a recording of this CLE is being offered by the Low Bono Section with the permission of Sister Helen Prejean. CLE Credit is not provided for viewing the recording.

Always entertaining, Sister Helen talks about life, death, and her burning passion for justice. Known around the globe for her tireless work against the death penalty, she is the author of several books, a global speaker, and winner of innumerable awards. In this seminar, Sister Helen talks about access to justice and the continued challenges in her work.

Watch the video

This video is not accredited for CLE credit.

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Resources

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Section Information — What Is Low Bono?

In a broad sense, low bono is the principle of increasing access to law-related services for people of moderate means who do not qualify for pro bono assistance, but cannot afford the fees private attorneys typically charge under traditional law firm models. There are opportunities to provide low bono services in the legal profession, and in every other profession that intersects with the delivery of legal services.

Low bono service providers find many creative ways to provide their services, and the list of possibilities continues to grow as practitioners try out new models of service delivery. Some examples of low bono services include:

• Using flexible pricing models, including sliding-fee scales, flat fees, payment plans, third-party payments, even crowdfunding
• Unbundling services
• Increasing the efficiency of delivering common services, such as adopting back office technologies and appropriately delegating tasks
• Commoditizing certain services, including online service delivery, automated intake, publication of legal guides, self-help kiosks, and document automation for common documents
• Mindfully and creatively using clients’ limited legal budgets, such as when crafting discovery requests
• Adopting a methodology of client counseling and litigation in which practitioners seek early and affordable resolutions when appropriate, even when it would be more profitable to engage in protracted conflict

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Section Benefits

The greatest benefit of joining the Low Bono Section is the opportunity to build lasting relationships with a community of like-minded professionals. For its members, the Low Bono Section provides a forum and opportunity for education, training, sharing of forms, practice tips, client counseling techniques, and alternative techniques for conflict resolution. The section provides its members with free mentorship opportunities, discounted admission to low-bono-oriented CLEs, networking and referral opportunities with other low bono professionals, leadership development opportunities, and more.

Join the Low Bono Section

The cost to join the Low Bono Section is $30.

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Join the Conversation

All professionals with an interest in low bono, lawyers and nonlawyers alike are invited to join the low bono community discussions, hosted through Groups.io. Membership in the section is not currently required to join.

Stay informed of Low Bono Section activities on Twitter and Facebook.

1:1 Mentoring Program

We invite members to contact the Executive Committee if looking for a low bono mentor. We will do our best to pair you up with an experienced low bono practitioner.

Disclaimer: These resources and opportunities are provided solely for the convenience of section members. No endorsement of any resource, mentor and/or mentorship relationship is intended, and no warranty is made as to the accuracy of the information by either the Washington State Bar Association or the Low Bono Section.

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Executive Committee

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Executive Committee Meetings

The Executive Committee of the Low Bono Section conducts meetings on the second Wednesday of each month 4–5:30 p.m. Meetings are held via Zoom teleconferencing. Please contact committee members for any further details needed on their upcoming meetings.

Join the Zoom meeting.

Phone: 253-215-8782 | Meeting ID: 965 1505 1256 | Passcode: 450303

If you have questions about the Low Bono Section, contact any member of the Section Executive Committee. For all other inquiries, contact sections@wsba.org.

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