Category: Why Do Pro Bono

We at The PBEye believe that lawyers are indeed privileged to do the work that they do.  And with that privilege comes the duty to use their skills to help those in need and contribute to a better society.  One way to do that is to help organizations that advocate for the public interest. This week hear from Fiona McLeay, executive director of the Public Interest Law Clearing House about why doing pro bono is important. YouTube Link

One of the things we at The PBEye love most about pro bono is how the benefits don’t have to stop at the client.  Lawyers have the opportunity to affect change at higher levels to improve society and the rule of law both in developed and developing countries. This week hear from Edwin Rekosh, executive director of PILnet, about the importance of doing pro bono. YouTube Link

It can be easy to forget that doing pro bono can be a two-way street.  Often, we at The PBEye think of doing pro bono to help people in need, and we hope that with our assistance their lives will be improved.  Well, it doesn’t always stop there as we’re frequently reminded.  Sometimes, pro bono helps those who already help us every day.  Farmworkers are a great example of that, as they play an integral role in keeping the country going by providing it with fresh healthy food but often face legal issues that can be detrimental to their well-being.

Some of the reasons for doing pro bono are simpler than others. Pro bono can be used for professional development, developing relationships, expanding business, and more, but at the very end you can’t deny the good feeling.  That is the good feeling you get from helping someone in need. This week hear from Steve Schulman, pro bono partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP*, about why it’s important to do pro bono. YouTube Link * denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®

We all know that with great power comes great responsibility.  For lawyers, that responsibility is often to use their role in the justice system to help those in need.  Of the many reasons that we at The PBEye endorse pro bono, this may be the one that we hear the most from the lawyers we’ve been privileged to meet. This week, hear from PBI Board Chairman James W. Jones about the professional obligations of lawyers and how they relate to pro bono. In case you missed it, see Jones’s take on pro bono after the recession.

We at The PBEye know the importance being in touch with your community’s needs.  And pro bono just happens to be a great relationship builder and way to connect with your community. This week, hear from Andrew Fisher, counsel at Exxon Mobil Corporation, about why pro bono is important and how it can help you help others around you. YouTube Link

As in-house legal departments have shown us increasingly in recent years, pro bono is not just for law firms. But pro bono still reaches even further than that into public interest groups and government, which also play a crucial role in increasing access to justice. For  example, the Legal Services Corporation is the single largest funder of civil legal aid to low-income Americans.  Hear from LSC President Jim Sandman about why pro bono is important. YouTube Link

We at The PBEye talk to a lot of lawyers about why they do pro bono, and we can pretty much count on them giving both professional and personal reasons.  What’s great about that is that is underscores the win-win-win outcome of doing pro bono work for firms, lawyers, and clients. Even better, often it’s hard to draw a distinct line between the professional and personal benefits of pro bono as Betsy Cavendish, executive director of Appleseed, explains below. YouTube Link

Why do pro bono?  Why not?  Well, it’s not quite as simple as that, but we at The PBEye have been grateful to have great friends and supporters who can explain the many important reasons to do pro bono legal work. This week hear from Cheryl Naja, pro bono and community service manager at Alston & Bird LLP* about why it’s important to do pro bono. YouTube Link *denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®