TFP (task force on professionalism) blog - observations on the legal profession
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Task Force on Professionalism Revs Up for a New Year
The Task Force under the helm of Ron Minkoff started off the new year with its first meeting last week. The big ticket item is the second year of the Mentoring Program which will build on the success of the first year pilot program. Also in the pipeline are new initiatives and the future of our humble blog. Stay tuned …
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
When Pro Bono Does Not Work the Way it Should
While the benefits from pro bono work are widely recognized, the “negative effects” are rarely discussed. Perhaps because they are considered so insignificant in comparison to the interests they promote. But, what if these “negative effects” could harm the legal profession?
During the last few months, I have been involved in many different pro bono programs. I have examined the whole process and witnessed how our contribution has generated good: Volunteer lawyers attend a mandatory training that covers basics on the area of practice relevant to the pro bono activity and ethics, and afterward attend legal clinics. Most of the clients I have helped were not “sophisticated persons” and felt oppressed by the legal process. In the end, they were so grateful for the assistance they were granted.
In the absence of the incident described further, I would have never become aware of the potential harm of pro bono services:
On a Thursday morning, when I was volunteering at the Uncontested Divorce Clinic, a group of people entered to the clinic and asked “where are the lawyers, we are looking for lawyers.” At first, nothing was out of the ordinary; a group of people looking for lawyers in the Kings County Supreme Court is likely to happen. But, that was not exactly the case, there was something more profound.
After a short inquiry, we realized that these individuals were looking for the lawyers of another pro bono program. At that very moment, we also became aware of the tone of their voices and the expression on their faces: they screamed disdain for the legal profession. I got the impression they were demanding: “where is my free lawyer.”
Legal services perceived as a free commodity by the public can have long term devastating effects on the legal profession, such as having clients taking our work and/or availability for granted.
Making a difference for indigents seeking legal services should not be at the expense of the volunteer attorneys who donate their time, energy and expertise to promote the interest of justice.
What can be done to frustrate the potential evils of pro bono legal services?
My proposal is to reconsider the way we deliver our free legal services. Pro bono programs should have a wisely crafted internal policy conveying unequivocally the value of the services provided and the idea that nothing should be taken for granted.
Pro bono clients must understand that being found eligible for pro bono legal assistance is an exceptional privilege and the waiver of attorney’s fees is not right.
** This is the first post from Pascal Partouche. Thanks, Pascal, we look forward to hearing from you more.
During the last few months, I have been involved in many different pro bono programs. I have examined the whole process and witnessed how our contribution has generated good: Volunteer lawyers attend a mandatory training that covers basics on the area of practice relevant to the pro bono activity and ethics, and afterward attend legal clinics. Most of the clients I have helped were not “sophisticated persons” and felt oppressed by the legal process. In the end, they were so grateful for the assistance they were granted.
In the absence of the incident described further, I would have never become aware of the potential harm of pro bono services:
On a Thursday morning, when I was volunteering at the Uncontested Divorce Clinic, a group of people entered to the clinic and asked “where are the lawyers, we are looking for lawyers.” At first, nothing was out of the ordinary; a group of people looking for lawyers in the Kings County Supreme Court is likely to happen. But, that was not exactly the case, there was something more profound.
After a short inquiry, we realized that these individuals were looking for the lawyers of another pro bono program. At that very moment, we also became aware of the tone of their voices and the expression on their faces: they screamed disdain for the legal profession. I got the impression they were demanding: “where is my free lawyer.”
Legal services perceived as a free commodity by the public can have long term devastating effects on the legal profession, such as having clients taking our work and/or availability for granted.
Making a difference for indigents seeking legal services should not be at the expense of the volunteer attorneys who donate their time, energy and expertise to promote the interest of justice.
What can be done to frustrate the potential evils of pro bono legal services?
My proposal is to reconsider the way we deliver our free legal services. Pro bono programs should have a wisely crafted internal policy conveying unequivocally the value of the services provided and the idea that nothing should be taken for granted.
Pro bono clients must understand that being found eligible for pro bono legal assistance is an exceptional privilege and the waiver of attorney’s fees is not right.
** This is the first post from Pascal Partouche. Thanks, Pascal, we look forward to hearing from you more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)