Last week, Holland & Knight launched a program that puts a new spin on the way we think of the access to justice gap in our nation.
The “Attorney Defense Initiative” will provide legal representation to attorneys facing disciplinary proceeding in the land of Lincoln, because it turns out that many lawyers in Illinois don’t have the necessary resources to hire defense counsel of their own when facing Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) proceedings.
This pro bono program will ensure that lawyers, no matter their financial state, will be guaranteed due process of law.
James J. Grogan, Deputy Administrator and Chief Counsel of the ARDC, claims that he and all of the commissioners are on board for the start of this project and commend its mission.
There are many talented ARDC defense attorneys and they all perform some amount of pro bono service. However, there is a real need to provide consistently available quality legal representation for lawyers in financial need,” said Grogan. “This truly is a terrific idea.”