As members of the Virginia State Bar, we have an aspirational goal to provide at least 40 hours of pro bono service per year to help provide the less affluent members of our community with access to legal services. We have found this 40-hour goal, per lawyer, is often a bare minimum – it’s not unusual for our lawyers to provide substantially more, depending on our clients’ needs.
There is no lack of opportunity for such services in Reston and Herndon, in Fairfax County, and in neighboring Loudoun County. Many individuals find themselves priced out of our legal system. It has been our pleasure to give back to the greater Fairfax and Loudoun community. We are also fortunate to work in a firm that gives its attorneys the discretion to take on pro bono and reduced fee cases and provide assistance to nonprofit organizations.
Here are some examples of our pro bono efforts:
David Hirsch:
Mr. Hirsch has been very involved in the Attorney of the Day program for Legal Services of Northern Virginia and has been recognized by the organization for his participation in this program. His efforts have frequently involved seeking protective orders for our community members who have a concern for their physical safety. He also volunteers for the Motions Conciliation Program for the Fairfax County Circuit Court and for the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. In this program, Mr. Hirsch serves as a third-party neutral seeking to facilitate discussions between parties to resolve or narrow the parties’ pending motions. Mr. Hirsch is a regular presenter at continuing legal education programs to recruit and train new motions conciliators. Additionally, Mr. Hirsch wrote and presented a CLE program, presented in January 2020, to train Legal Services attorneys and paralegals in arbitration.
Lydia Burnett:
As part of her pro bono work, Ms. Burnett is involved in a fair number of cases defending debtors’ rights. As a volunteer attorney with Legal Services of Northern Virginia, she has been particularly grateful for the opportunity to assist individuals who — due to often very challenging circumstances — find themselves unable to pay one or more financial obligations. She has worked with people struggling with physical illness, mental illness, job loss and homelessness. Ms. Burnett uses her skills to ensure that the voice of an individual who might otherwise have been ignored resulting in a serious injustice is heard.
Elanna Weinstein:
Ms. Weinstein has been participating in the Attorney of the Day Program with Legal Services of Northern Virginia and has been recognized for her participation in that program for using her advocacy skill to assist individuals fearing for their physical safety and welfare. Ms. Weinstein has also volunteered in her individual capacity to prepare many simple wills and powers of attorney to make clear the testamentary intent of Fairfax and Loudoun residents who otherwise might have gone without these important documents. Powers of attorney clarify an individual’s wishes for guardians for minor children, disposition of what property they might own and arrange for another to act in their name if they are disabled or in need of serious medical treatment or to have end of life decisions made on their behalf.
It is important to note that these voluntary activities are in addition to the substantial time Mr. Hirsch, Ms. Weinstein and other attorneys with our firm provide to the Fairfax Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Bar Association.