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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Law - Some law firms paying to do pro bono work
"Trial-less Lawyers: As more cases settle, firms seek pro bono work to hone associates' courtroom skills" was the headline to a December 1, 2005 story in the Wall Street Journal, per this ILB entry of that date. The story itself is still available at the Post-Gazette link.
Today the WSJ has a story by Ashby Jones headed "Law Firms Willing to Pay to Work for Nothing." The story is available here today for free. Some quotes:
Lawyers have long contributed free legal work to those in need. But in recent years, law firms have grown so eager to take on cases "pro bono" that they have started to pay for the privilege.Since 2005, Lawyers Without Borders Inc., a nonprofit organization that focuses on strengthening the legal process around the world, has required that law firms donate at least $7,500 a year to guarantee access to the cases it handles. Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Inc., a nonprofit which delivers legal services to the arts community, gives first crack at desirable cases to firms that contribute to it. In other, less explicit arrangements, firms give money, office space or clerical help to organizations that funnel pro bono work to them.
"These cases don't just come," says Scott Harshbarger, a former attorney general of Massachusetts who was hired by Proskauer Rose LLP in 2005 in part to head up a new pro bono initiative at the firm. "You've got to pony up." * * *
The movement comes as pro bono work has evolved from an act of noblesse oblige into, at least in part, a business initiative for elite firms. Some firms want strong pro bono programs as a way to recruit and retain top law students and junior lawyers, who are often more eager than their predecessors to do pro bono work.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 19, 2007 07:57 AM
Posted to General Law Related