It’s not easy to build a robust pro bono program in the country’s least populous state.  But with a combination of personal outreach and effective use of technology, Wyoming Legal Services has gone in less than a year from a largely dormant statewide program to one with more than 120 member attorneys, out of 1,500 in the entire state.

Last May Janice Baker, who had recently taken the position of PAI Coordinator, knew she’d need to take advantage of the summer months to reach out to attorneys in person.

The challenge was, “how do you get word out in a rural area where you are geographically and weather limited,” Baker said.  She hit the road in June, doing pro bono road shows in 13 cities in partnership with the Wyoming State Bar Foundation.  Baker was able to talk to 300 attorneys, one-fifth of the state’s total number.  As part of her presentation, she highlighted WyomingAdvocate.org, their statewide pro bono site, and added 75 new members.

 “The first step was to inform attorneys that there are cases,” Baker said.  Many were also unaware of existing support for pro bono work such as malpractice insurance provided by Wyoming Legal Services and, from the State Bar Foundation, reimbursement for non-staff expenses and CLE credit for both cases taken and for mentoring an attorney taking a pro bono case.

The June road show was followed by further outreach at the Wyoming State Bar Convention in September.  Baker used a door prize of a hotel stay to spur traffic to her booth, and signed up 20 more WyomingAdvocate.org members.  A summer fundraising campaign to members of the state bar, which included a form to register with the site and a pledge to commit to pro bono, yielded additional registrations.

Baker uses the website and its email tools to stay in touch with these new members and keep them involved – efforts that take on added importance since winter weather makes in-person networking next to impossible in Wyoming.  Available cases are posted on the site, and 12 have been placed this way since September, according to Baker.

Baker also uses the site’s mailings tool to place cases, since it allows her to target attorneys in specific counties.  “For us it has been highly effective,” she said.

Library resources on the site are also important in such a rural state, and WyomingAdvocate.org has been building up this content based on requests.  Baker hopes to add webcast trainings at some point, if funding can be obtained. 

The site “is a highly effective, cost-wise, tool that breaks down the geographic barriers in our rural state,” said Leigh Anne Manlove, Executive Director of the Wyoming State Bar Foundation.  “The fact that, with the stroke of a key, WyomingAdvocate.org literally reaches attorneys at their desks is extremely important – it's an 'e-touch' that increases the chances for placing a case.”

Until 2007, Wyoming Legal Services had difficulty recruiting attorneys to take pro bono cases, according to Wendy Owens, Wyoming Legal Services Executive Director.  “With the outreach done in 2007 where we educated Wyoming attorneys about WyomingAdvocate.org, pro bono participation just exploded,” she said.  “We went from virtually no pro bono attorneys to over 120 throughout the state in just a few months.  It’s been incredible.”

Pro Bono Net Circuit Rider Matthew Burnett met with Wyoming Legal Services and Wyoming State Bar Foundation staff during a visit last summer.  “It was clear that everyone I talked to believed that WyomingAdvocate.org was crucial to the success of the pro bono program, and particularly important in overcoming many of the challenges to delivering legal services in such a unique state,” he said.  “What’s impressive is that Wyoming Legal Services has used their advocate website to cultivate the type of online community that we always talk about, and that they have done so with limited resources in a very short period of time.” 
 
A monthly e-newsletter, begun in August, also helps keep members engaged.  The newsletter includes available cases, upcoming trainings, news and a Volunteer of the Month feature.  This has been particularly effective in providing recognition to volunteer attorneys.  “Other members will contact that attorney and say, congratulations, that’s great that you’re doing that,” Baker said. 

Baker has used the winter months to write articles about the state’s pro bono program, hoping to continue reaching attorneys who may be unaware of it.  Articles should appear this spring in the journal of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association and in the Wyoming State Bar Journal.  Once warmer weather makes statewide travel possible, she’ll repeat last summer’s outreach efforts.

In addition to its importance as a communication tool and resource clearinghouse, Baker notes one other benefit of the website.  “I tell clients about the program and the fact that attorneys can see their cases on the site,” she said.  “They’re very excited.  Most of them are unaware that something like this exists.”