Rule changes aimed at helping New Jersey lawyers fulfill their annual pro bono obligations kicked in at the start of the new year.
The changes were proposed in 2012 by the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Task Force and adopted by the state Supreme Court last July, but had a delayed effective date of Jan. 1.
Susan Feeney of McCarter & English in Newark, who launched the 20-member task force when she was state bar president from 2011 to 2012 said the rule changes are consistent with the task force report and “should encourage more private bar attorneys to participate in voluntary pro bono through the various pro bono service provider organizations.”