Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 46

THE PRO BONO EFFECT

THE

POWER
VOLUNTEER

OF

MENTORS

Interviews by Kathy Lugo

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center recruits well-respected legal experts
from the private bar and the legal services provider community
to serve as mentors for its brief advice and full-representation
legal clinics. The Center's volunteer lawyers can consult with an
expert before advising a client in an area of the law outside their
regular practice. Volunteer mentors make it possible for regulatory lawyers to handle custody matters, trademark lawyers to
defend tenants against eviction, and mergers and acquisitions
specialists to represent people with disabilities who have been
denied public benefits.
Expert mentors allow the Pro Bono Center to leverage its limited
resources to help more than 20,000 individuals, nonprofits, and
small businesses each year. In this issue, Washington Lawyer
profiles two of the most dedicated volunteer mentors at the
Pro Bono Center's Advocacy & Justice Clinic.

Paul R. Smollar
Principal, Kuder, Smollar, Friedman & Mihalik, P.C.
Family law mentor since 2002
Why have you chosen to volunteer as a family law mentor with the
Advocacy & Justice Clinic?
Serving as a mentor offers me the opportunity to make a difference using my
professional training and experience. Over the years, I have mentored attorney
volunteers on a variety of family law issues - everything from visitation arrangements to emergency relief requests to requests from a custodial parent to
relocate with their child. I enjoy discussing strategies and the Domestic Relations
Rules with the attorney volunteers, as well as coaching them on how to question
their clients to elicit the relevant information and how to interact with judges.
As lawyers, we have a responsibility to ensure that families and children in need
are never forgotten or lost in a complicated legal system. Though the life circumstances of low-income residents may differ from those of other D.C. residents, the issues regarding legal and physical custody and visitation are similar.
The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's Advocacy & Justice Clinic makes sure that these
families are not forgotten and that their children benefit from a stable and nurturing environment.
What have you learned about the need for pro bono family law mentors
and attorneys through your work with the clinic?
There is a large community of people in the District who have children
(whether they are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, or some
combination thereof), and many are at a loss as to how to work with each

"As lawyers, we have a responsibility
to ensure that families and children
in need are never forgotten or lost in
a complicated legal system."
PAUL R. SMOLLAR

46 WASHINGTON LAWYER

*

APRIL 2019

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http://dcbar.org

Washington Lawyer - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - April 2019

Digital Extras
Your Voice
From Our President
Practice Management
Calendar of Events
DC Bar Practice Management Advisory Service feature
Niching Down to Build Up feature
Going Small feature
Global & Domestic Outlook
Worth Reading
Media Bytes
Attorney Briefs
Ask the Ethics Experts
Disciplinary Summaries
The Pro Bono Effect
Community & Connections
Last Word
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 1
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 2
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 3
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Digital Extras
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Your Voice
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - From Our President
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 7
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Practice Management
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 9
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Calendar of Events
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 11
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 12
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 13
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - DC Bar Practice Management Advisory Service feature
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 15
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 16
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 17
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Niching Down to Build Up feature
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 19
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 20
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 21
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 22
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 23
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Going Small feature
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Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 37
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Global & Domestic Outlook
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 39
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Worth Reading
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Media Bytes
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Attorney Briefs
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Ask the Ethics Experts
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Disciplinary Summaries
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 45
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - The Pro Bono Effect
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 47
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 48
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 49
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Community & Connections
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - 51
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Last Word
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - April 2019 - Cover4
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