PIAM: Pro Bono Program
The Professional Investigator Alliance of Maryland has established a Pro Bono Program to create a way to give something back to the community. The program will solicit PIAM members to volunteer to work, free of charge, for those citizens of Maryland who would not ordinarily be able to financially afford investigative services.

METHOD OF OPERATION

The Pro Bono Program will be administrated by a Pro Bono Committee that will accept the request for services and proceed to determine if the request falls within the established guidelines. The Committee will target the Maryland State Bar Associations, the Trial Lawyers Association, the County Bar Associations, and the Legal Aid Societies by announcing our intentions; and in return, asking them for advertising and/or an interview or article about PIAM and its Pro Bono program. All requests received from the Maryland State Bar Associations, the Trial Lawyers Association, the County Bar Associations, and the Legal Aid Societies will be accepted without question, since they already have an established pro bono program in progress.

Any inquiring attorney, not going thru their local bar association or a non profit organization requesting the services of our members will be required to provide, the particulars of the case, and to sign an affidavit certifying that their client is not able to afford these services and he/she is not in anyway receiving any fees for attorney services.

After the request received is reviewed and it is determined to meet our program's established guidelines, then the assignment will be posted on the P.I.A.M. web site for a member to accept. If the assignment is not accepted then a direct request will be made to a member in the area of the assignment.

Once the assignment is accepted, the member will then be placed in direct contact with the attorney or requesting service and the investigator will proceed directly with the Client.

At the conclusion of the assignment the member will be requested to provide the Pro Bono Committee with a copy of the final report for administrating purpose only. In addition, the member will be requested to provide the committee with the amount of time allocated and expenses for which the assignment would ordinarily have been invoiced. These figures will be kept and tallied by the committee and used for promotional purposes only.

At the conclusion of the assignment the Pro Bono Committee will contact the attorney/client who will be also be requested to write to his local bar chapter (or society) detailing his interaction with the volunteer investigator; a letter of recognition, so to speak.

ADVANTAGES
Free advertising from various legal societies.
Tax deduction for pro-bono work.
Direct interaction with potential paying clients.

For further information contact the Pro Bono Commitee, Lloyd Davis or Caryn Gloyd