The Pietragallo Law Firm is the sole sponsor of a pro bono program for helping low income families establish legal guardianships. A legal guardianship may be established for an adult individual who, because of a mental and/or physical condition, lacks the capacity to care for themselves, manage financial affairs, and/or to make or communicate responsible decisions concerning health care, personal hygiene or activities of daily living. Each of the lawyers participating in the program received specific training on handling these sensitive and personal matters.

Pietragallo lawyers and staff provide legal services for qualifying families to shepherd the family through the legal process of filing a petition for guardianship and presenting that petition in the Orphans’ Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Working in conjunction with Neighborhood Legal Services Association, families in need of legal services are identified to the firm and receive free legal representation.

In 2017, The Pietragallo Pro Bono Guardianship Program received the Allegheny County Bar Association’s New Pro Bono Initiative Award.

The Program is a signature project of the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership. The Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership is a collaboration of legal departments, law firms, the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, and Neighborhood Legal Services Association. Its purpose is to increase attorney and paralegal pro bono legal services to the greater Pittsburgh community.

“For over 30 years, we have made it a part of our mission to be lawyers in service to the community as well as business. It is heart-warming for me to see a good number of our lawyers giving back to the community through this unique and very personal program.” Bill Pietragallo