Every month, SALA’s Volunteer Lawyers Program recognizes a legal professional for legal volunteerism. Thanks to our volunteer private attorneys, the Volunteer Lawyers Program serves more than 10 percent of SALA’s clients. The award is a distinct honor and highlights the dedication and commitment of 12 individuals each year who give their valuable time and expertise to the community.

Congratulations to Ben Smith, our April 2024 Outstanding Volunteer of the Month Award Recipient.

What do you call a volunteer lawyer who has held 1,811 law clinics for a total of 5,081 hours, helping 9,103 clients and their families, and completed 135 direct representation cases for clients? We’d call that someone who has a healthy dedication to access to justice! That someone is our April Volunteer Lawyer of the Month, Ben Smith. It’s no surprise Ben has earned numerous awards, both local and statewide for his accomplishments and donations of his legal expertise. Not only does he volunteer for SALA, he also donates his time to other pro bono legal services. Despite so much pro bono work, he is known for his enthusiasm in working with our volunteer students and has the energy to spend extra time with them to talk about the law, cases, and their interests – and he does it all with such joy and a smile!