The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law will mark Pro Bono Week with a panel discussion titled “Tales of Pro Bono Heroes” from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, in the second-floor student lounge.

Panelists include Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development Terri Beiner, UALR Bowen School of Law; Ben Brenner, Williams & Anderson PLC; Debra Brown, Shults, Brown & Perkins LLP; Bettina Brownstein, Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP; Noel “Bud” Bryant, Noel F. Bryant, P.A.; and Amy Johnson, executive director, Arkansas Access to Justice Commission.

Building on the success of the first National Pro Bono Celebration in 2009, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is sponsoring the celebration again this year Oct. 24 to 30. The celebration is a coordinated national effort to meet the ever-growing needs of this country’s most vulnerable citizens by encouraging and supporting local efforts to expand the delivery of pro bono legal services, and by showcasing the great difference that pro bono lawyers make to the nation, its system of justice, its communities and to the clients they serve.

The law school’s informal panel discussion will focus on the importance of a lawyer’s obligation to perform pro bono service. The program is designed to educate students about their duty to perform pro bono work once they enter practice and to alleviate some of the fears and concerns they may have about doing pro bono work.

“Students have normal worries about the amount of time needed to perform pro bono work, lack of resources, and lack of knowledge about areas of the law outside their regular practice field,” said Kelly Terry, associate professor and director of the public service externship program and pro bono opportunities at Bowen.

“We hope to share stories about each attorney’s personal experiences doing pro bono work – the types of matters they’ve handled, how they’ve managed to do pro bono work in addition to their regular job responsibilities, the value of doing pro bono work, and any other advice or insights they would like to pass along to the students about pro bono work.”