Welcome to the webpage for the Pro Bono Program of the Energy Bar Association (“EBA”). EBA is dedicated to facilitating the voluntary provision of free legal services requiring energy law expertise to advance humanitarian and charitable causes. This webpage provides prospective clients seeking pro bono legal services and lawyers willing to provide pro bono legal services with information about our Pro Bono Program. EBA members may review current requests for pro bono services on the Request for Pro Bono Services webpage (note: this page is password protected and only open to EBA members).
The EBA’s Pro Bono Program is administered by the EBA Pro Bono Committee (“PBC”). The Mission Statement of the PBC is:
The PBC’s mission is to administer the EBA Pro Bono Program. The PBC’s goals are to facilitate the voluntary provision of free legal services requiring energy law expertise by EBA members to advance humanitarian and charitable causes for clients that are financially constrained and to provide opportunities for professional development for EBA members. The PBC will coordinate with the EBA Charitable Foundation. An integral part of the PBC’s mission is to honor EBA’s apolitical status and accordingly, to use the pro bono program to encourage members to provide service in broadly supported activities, but not adversarial proceedings.
The EBA, through its Pro Bono Program, serves as a clearing house to bring eligible clients in need of pro bonolegal representation in the area of energy law together with EBA practitioners who may be interested in providing such services. THE EBA ITSELF DOES NOT PROVIDE PRO BONO SERVICES.
Potential clients seeking pro bono services may submit to the PBC both an electronic and signed hard copy Pro Bono Services Request Form. The PBC will review completed Forms to ascertain client eligibility (see discussion of “Eligible Clients”) and matter eligibility for the Pro Bono Program (see discussion of “Eligible Matters”). If accepted by the PBC, the prospective client’s Form, or a subset of information contained in the Form, will be posted on the EBA’s Request for Pro Bono Services webpage.
EBA members may view the posted Forms on the Requests for Pro Bono Services webpage. Access to this webpage is password protected. Notwithstanding the password protection, EBA has over 2,500 members, and interested persons should treat information to be posted on that webpage as in the public domain. EBA members, and their law firms or companies, who are interested in providing pro bono services to an eligible client may contact the client directly. All arrangements between the lawyer or law firm and the eligible client shall be a matter between the lawyer, law firm or company and the client.
Client eligibility will be determined by the PBC. The purpose of the Pro Bono Program is to facilitate the voluntary provision of free legal services in the area of energy law to clients who are financially constrained. Thus, when assessing client eligibility, the PBC will give due consideration to the financial needs of the prospective pro bono client. Prospective clients which (1) verify that they have limited resources in matters for which pro bono assistance is sought, (2) demonstrate that they are not-for-profit organizations or (3) are foreign sovereigns, particularly in developing countries, are examples of prospective clients the Pro Bono Program is designed to assist.
Note: Clients may be asked to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the lawyer, law firm or company that enters into a retainer for pro bono services that the clients are capable of paying the costs and disbursements associated with the pro bono work being requested. This is a matter between the client and the lawyer, law firm or company providing the pro bono services.
Matter eligibility will be determined by the PBC. Eligible matters must be in the field of energy law and must be in support of humanitarian or charitable causes or satisfy similar needs or serve similar public goods in accordance with guidance from the EBA Board of Directors.
Eligible matters do not include representation in adversarial proceedings or litigation, including, but not limited to, administrative or court litigation, customer cut-off or disconnect matters or disputes or generic or rulemaking proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Eligible matters exclude matters of a political nature such as supporting a party or candidate or lobbying activities which are adverse to the interest of one or more EBA members or their employers.
Potential clients seeking pro bono legal services through the Pro Bono Program should submit to the PBC a completed Pro Bono Services Request Form. A request form may be downloaded by clicking the following link: Pro Bono Services Request Form. Completed Pro Bono Services Request Forms may be submitted to the care of the Pro Bono Committee at probono@eba-net.org.
EBA members and their firms or companies may offer pro bono services to eligible clients by reviewing the requests for pro bono service posted on the EBA’s Request for Pro Bono Services webpage and contacting eligible clients directly. All arrangements between the lawyer, law firm or company and the eligible client shall be a matter strictly between the lawyer, law firm, or company and the client and will be independent of the EBA. It is the responsibility of each EBA member and his or her firm or company to perform any diligence he, she or it deems appropriate before taking on an eligible pro bono matter.
EBA members may click here to access the Request for Pro Bono Services webpage and view eligible pro bono service requests. This webpage is restricted to EBA members and password protected.
EBA does not itself provide legal services, and completion and submission of Form does not establish an agreement, enforceable rights or attorney/client relationship between any prospective client and EBA, the EBA Pro Bono Committee, its members or EBA’s board of directors, officers, employees or members. Rather, upon completion and submission of the Form by a prospective client, EBA may, without further notice, post any information submitted to the EBA Pro Bono Program, including requests for pro bono services, on EBA’s Request for Pro Bono Services webpage. If a member is willing to consider providing the pro bono services a prospective client has requested, the member may contact the prospective client. All other communications concerning a request for pro bono services and the actual provision of services will be solely between the prospective client and that EBA member or his or her firm or company. EBA will not participate or be a party to any Attorney/Client relationship between any prospective client and the responding EBA member, even if that relationship results immediately from a request to EBA. EBA makes no representations or warranties concerning EBA members or prospective clients. Prospective clients will likely be requested to sign an engagement letter by the EBA member who agrees to provide the requested pro bono services. Also, EBA makes no promise to any prospective client that: (a) a request form or the information contained in a request form will be posted; (b) if it is posted, that an EBA member will respond to the request; or (c) if a response is made, that any member will agree to perform the services requested on a pro bono or other basis. EBA reserves the right in its sole discretion to decide what matters and persons/organizations meet the eligibility criteria to participate in this program, whether and when to post any request for pro bono services or related information on its website or to remove without notice any posting from the same. EBA, the EBA Pro Bono Committee, its members and EBA’s board of directors, officers, employees and members shall not be liable for any actions taken or not taken in connection with the EBA Pro Bono Program.
Acknowledgement and agreement to the Disclaimer and Waiver set forth above is a required to complete the Request for Pro Bono Services Form.
In order for EBA to evaluate and improve the performance of the Pro Bono Program, we ask that you advise us of communications and engagements by simply clicking:
For more information about the EBA’s Pro Bono Program, please contact any member of the Pro Bono Committee (listed below) or Ms. Lorna Wilson, Administrator, Energy Bar Association, at (202) 223-5625 or admin@eba-net.org
The EBA Pro Bono Committee is a committee of the EBA board of directors and is responsible for the administration of the Pro Bono Program. Its members are:
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William D. DeGrandis (Chair) Stuart A. Caplan Derek A. Dyson Walter R. Hall, II A. Karen Hill Channing D. Strother, Jr. |
billdegrandis@paulhastings.com scaplan@sonnenschein.com dad@dwgp.com wrhii@aol.com karen.hill@exeloncorp.com cstrother@mshpc.com |