Pro Bono Reimbursement Fund

Purpose

To provide support to attorneys offering pro bono legal services to low-income Suffolk County residents by reimbursing certain case-related expenses.

Who Can Apply

Attorneys must meet all the following criteria:

• Only SCBA Member attorneys are eligible for reimbursement for expenses.

• Attorneys must be assigned a pro bono client through Legal Services of Long Island’s Pro Bono Project.

• Clients must be low-income Suffolk County residents, screened and deemed eligible by Legal Services of Long Island.

• Attorneys must provide legal services at no charge to the client.

What is Included

The following expenses may be eligible for reimbursement, in part or full:

• Document retrieval fees from clerk's office
• Subpoena fees
• Process server fees
• Other necessary case-related expenses (subject to committee approval)

Note: The following non-exhaustive list of expenses are not eligible for reimbursement at this time: Court filing fees, private investigation fees, expert fees, evaluation or treatment expenses, travel expenses, fees and expenses otherwise covered by Modest Mean application. Attorneys only will be reimbursed for expenses incurred.

Maximum Reimbursement: Reimbursed fees and expenses shall not exceed $500 per litigant.

How To Apply

• Submit a completed Suffolk County Bar Association Pro Bono Foundation's Pro Bono Reimbursement Fund Request Form to the Suffolk County Bar Association Pro Bono Foundation's Pro Bono Reimbursement Fund Committee. Only SCBA member attorneys will be reimbursed for pro bono expenses.
• Attach receipts for all eligible expenses
• Reimbursement Request Form and Receipt must be submitted within two (2) months of expenditure date

Review and Approval

• All reimbursement requests are subject to review by the Suffolk County Bar Association Pro Bono Foundation's Pro Bono Reimbursement Fund Committee. The Committee has discretion to:
  • Approve full or partial reimbursement
  • Set reimbursement amount limitations
  • Deny reimbursement requests
•  Decisions are made based on:
  • Available funds
  • Nature of expense
  • Necessity of case
  • Compliance with submission requirements

Timeline

• Reimbursement requests must be submitted within two (2) months of expenditure.
• Late submissions will not be considered.
• Committee will review requests at regular intervals.

Contact

To reach the Suffolk County Bar Association Pro Bono Foundation's Pro Bono Reimbursement Fund Committee, please reach out to Cynthia Doerler - cynthia@scba.org

Modifications

This protocol is subject to revision by the Suffolk County Bar Association Foundation and the Suffolk County Bar Association Pro Bono Foundation - Reimbursement Fund Committee. Changes will be communicated to participating attorneys.

Pro Bono Request for Reimbursement Form