ATLANTA — The Georgia Legal Services Program is one of 15 legal aid organizations to recently receive a grant from the Legal Services Corporation to enhance pro bono services.

In total, LSC is awarding $4.75 million to support the growth of pro bono legal services for low-income Americans; GLSP will receive $304,946.

GLSP plans to use the funds to create standardized policies and procedures for its pro bono program, which it hopes will improve the integration of pro bono services to more rural areas of the state.

“That necessitates us reorienting our pro bono staff around the state to work more in a hybrid and virtual setting with our volunteers and with our clients,” said Mike Monahan, pro bono director for GLSP.

GLSP primarily serves Georgians outside of metro Atlanta with incomes up to 150% of the federal poverty level, and in some instances, those with up to 200% of the federal poverty level.

About 2 million low-income Georgians could qualify for free legal services, Monahan said. But access to a lawyer often presents a challenge since several counties have no pro bono lawyer, and at least 40 counties with five or fewer lawyers, he added.

“About 70% of that poor person population is found outside Metro Atlanta in our service territory, and we only have access in that territory to about 30% of the state’s lawyers,” Monahan said. “So there’s a huge mismatch of where the lawyers are and where the poor people are. And one of the reasons why we are transforming our services, especially after COVID and knowing how the world now operates, (is) to go to a more virtual and hybrid way to get all those many, many lawyers out of Atlanta and give them ways to reach our clients in rural Georgia.”

GLSP provides assistance