vices under the auspices, and under the malpractice insurance coverage, of local legal aid offices. The LGA Policy Committee will also identify types of pro bono legal services that LGA members could provide where insurance coverage might not be necessary, like staffing legal assistance “help lines,” incorporating charitable organizations, providing training for lawyers that take legal aid referrals, etc.

In addition, the LGA Policy Committee will evaluate the types of pro bono legal services that local government attorneys might undertake that would reduce the policy and political concerns mentioned here and avoid any potential conflicts of interest. For example, it might be advisable for the policy of a local government attorney’s office to specify that attorneys in the office should undertake to represent low income clients only in matters arising in other jurisdictions and that they should decline any matter in which another local government was a party or had a legal interest.

The Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court Leroy R. Hassell Sr., has made it clear that every member of the Virginia State Bar must play a role in assuring that the legal assistance needs of low income individuals are met. State and local government attorneys must be prepared to play an integral role in fulfilling this need. In order for this to be possible, it is essential that elected and administrative officials in state and local government recognize the ethical and professional responsibilities of their attorneys and assist them in meeting these obligations. All of us are fortunate to live in a society, governed by the rule of law, where the legal system, for all of its many flaws, can fairly be called a system of justice. However, “justice” demands that those who require legal