More than 47 million Americans who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps, recently experienced sharp reductions in their monthly assistance.  The automatic cuts will decrease food stamp spending by $5 billion in the 2014 fiscal year, leaving many people struggling to get by, especially at the end of each month. With the start of November marking what food activists have termed the “Hunger Cliff,” we at The PBEye have been thinking about pro bono efforts designed to fight hunger and increase the availability of nutritious and affordable food.  Pro bono work to support

The 2013 Pro Bono Institute Annual Dinner has arrived and tonight’s the big night at Gotham Hall!  That means it’s also time for Law Firm Pro Bono Project house calls in New York City and this week we’ve already met with five firms! These house calls are part of our expert consultative services program, where Law Firm Project Director Tammy Taylor and Law Firm Project Assistant Director Reena Glazer visit law firms and meet with pro bono committees, firm and office leaders, partners, and pro bono coordinators, directors, and managers to discuss trends in pro bono and to learn about

Planning is underway for the 2014 PBI Annual Conference and The PBEye has all things Conference-related on the mind.  As we previously wrote, there are many meaningful ways to take the Conference home with you and continue building upon what you learn in March.  For instance, you can supplement the Conference materials with even more information found in the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s Resource Clearinghouse or you can check out the “Best of the Conference” webinars, which update and reprise some of the most popular sessions. Our friends at Alston & Bird*† took it one step further and designed

As The PBEye previously reported, criminal justice debt is a persistently troubling part of our nation’s criminal justice system, as there are substantial expenses incurred by offenders throughout the entire incarceration process. As states, cities, and counties face increasingly tight budget constraints, many have turned to the offenders themselves to offset some of those costs.  Fees and surcharges are now imposed at nearly every stage of criminal processing, such as fees for public defenders, jail fees, court administrative fees, prosecution fees, probation fees, and more.  Offenders are often saddled with overwhelming costs which they struggle to pay, resulting in additional