There are thousands of low-income Kansans who need the services of a good lawyer but can’t afford to pay for it. Fortunately, there are organizations and caring individuals ready to help.
“The Kansas Bar Association and Kansas Legal Services are collaborating to provide pro bono work by attorneys in southeast Kansas,” said Eric Rosenblad of the Pittsburg field office of Kansas Legal Services.
He explained that “pro bono” means “for the public good,” and refers to professional services provided without payment for those in need.
“Kansas Legal Services will receive about 5,000 requests for assistance this year, but will be able to deal with only about 2,000 of them,” Rosenblad said. “Attorneys like Burton Harding are stepping up to help us meet that need. Sara Beezley, a past president of the Kansas Bar Association, has helped us to recognize the volunteer efforts that Burton has contributed.”
Harding, who opened his Girard law office in September, recently received the Pro Bono Award for his work.
Beezley was also impressed with the young attorney’s pluck. “He just came into the community and hung out his shingle,” she said. “Not too many young lawyers do that these days.”
Originally from the Kansas City-Olathe area, Harding graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law. But, rather than joining a law firm or setting up his office in the big city, he decided he’d rather go someplace smaller.
“I had done an internship in Franklin County, Ottawa, which is a smaller community,” Harding said. “I really liked the slower pace and all the lawyers knew each other. I liked that, too. I came down here, shook hands with some people and liked the relationships with lawyers and judges.”
Also, he added, if he had joined a large law firm in a big city, he would probably be practicing the same kind of law all the time.
“In a small town you do a lot of things, and that keeps it intellectually challenging,” Harding said.
Rosenblad said that his pro bono work included some cases involving guardianships.
“We get a lot of grandparents raising grandchildren, and these grandparents face a lot of barriers like accessing health care and enrolling in school,” Rosenblad said. “Burton has helped us file guardianship actions to give grandparents the legal authority to meet the needs of the children.”
“One of the reasons I went to law school is that, at the end of the day, I want to feel I’ve helped someone,” Harding said. “Pro bono is a good way to do that, and helps you to reaffirm yourself.”
