Kubes helps launch Building for Good to link nonprofits with construction lawyers for pro bono services.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, October 15, 2019 — As charitable organizations work to improve inadequate facilities or build new ones, legal bills may hold them back from their mission. Building for Good, Inc. (B4G), a national, web-based platform linking nonprofits and charities with skilled, volunteer construction lawyers, launched this month in Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, and Minnesota. B4G will help organizations in need of construction law assistance find qualified, local attorneys to provide pro bono construction law services.
A group of attorneys from the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law recognized the untapped potential of expertise among the Forum attorneys who wanted to give back to their communities. Prior to the launch of B4G, there was no channel linking lawyers to nonprofit organizations in need of pro bono construction law services.
“We knew there were volunteer lawyers who wanted to give back to their communities, but we noticed there was no easy way for them to find nonprofit organizations in need of construction law help,” said Minneapolis construction attorney Kristine Kubes. Ms. Kubes, a lawyer at Kubes Law Offices, PLLC, serves as Secretary of B4G’s Board of Directors and is the current Chair of the ABA’s 6,000-member Forum on Construction Law.
“Our goal in launching B4G is to provide the platform through which lawyers and organizations can connect, and therefore, help nonprofits and charities achieve their critical goals,” she added.
Charitable organizations with construction-related legal issues and a financial need can contact B4G for more information and eligibility requirements. Examples of eligible organizations include foodbanks; domestic violence and homeless shelters; organizations helping citizens with physical, emotional, or mental disabilities; schools serving underserved populations; conservation and art organizations promoting access to the arts and outdoors by people of all backgrounds; and animal protection organizations. Volunteer construction attorneys, who are members of American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, may provide legal services ranging from transactional work such as drafting and negotiating construction and design agreements, to assisting clients in construction litigation, mediation, or arbitration relating to design or construction defects.
Minnesota law firms that are currently part of the Building for Good Network Include:
- Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson
- Heley Duncan & Melander
- Kubes Law Offices, PLLC
- Larson King
- Stinson LLP
- TTLO Law
Building for Good is actively looking for projects in Minnesota. To submit a project for consideration, volunteer or donate, please visit http://www.building4good.org.
About Building for Good, Inc.:
B4G is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Massachusetts, with a mission to further local philanthropic efforts by utilizing skills-based volunteering from within the construction law industry. B4G is launching pilot services in Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey but plans to expand to additional states in 2020.
Contact:
Kristen McDonough
Program Director
Building for Good, Inc.
877-253-4433
Kristine Kubes
Kubes Law Offices, PLLC
612-333-3262
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