Tiffany Farber is a solo practitioner who has been practicing law since 2008. As someone who has been through transition in her career, she understands the challenges lawyers in this situation face.
Non-lawyers always laugh when I tell them what pro bono legal services are.
They say, “Lawyers giving something away for free? What’s the catch?” Sheesh, when did lawyers get such a bad rap? Most of us became lawyers because we wanted to help people. As a former pro bono coordinator, I have seen volunteer attorneys change the lives of people who could not otherwise afford legal services. I have also seen attorneys grow professionally after handling cases in areas of law they would not otherwise have gotten experience in.
Pro bono work is an excellent way to gain experience. Although the economy is less than desirable, employers still want to know that you’ve handled cases on your own. If you are in transition, it’s a bit hard to get that kind of “hands on” experience. Luckily, pro bono work allows you to be an attorney in transition but still get much needed court room or transactional experience to nail a job interview.
Many attorneys choose to do pro bono work because they are interested in a certain area of law but chose a different career path. I have attorney friends who are artists that maintain “traditional” law jobs. Some of them volunteer with Lawyers for the Creative Arts and do pro bono work for other artists.
On the other hand, some pro bono attorneys have a great deal of experience in a certain area and like to volunteer their expertise helping people who could not otherwise afford their services. For example, I volunteered at a program though the Chicago Bar Association called “Wills for Heroes” and I met some veteran estate planning attorneys.
There are tons of organizations in Chicago that work with pro bono attorneys. Generally, these organizations have an intake process so before you would meet with a potential client there will already be great deal of information about his or her case. I recommend contacting several organizations and asking them what areas of law their volunteers handle. Organizations like Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) handle several areas of law ranging from adoption to consumer law. CVLS offers an orientation session, as well as training materials for volunteers.
Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS) is another great place to volunteer. CRPLS volunteers help staff pro se desks at the Daley Center and field hotline calls from people in need of legal advice. If you work at a firm, go talk to your Pro Bono Coordinator and ask about volunteer opportunities. Most firms have relationships with legal service organizations.
Make sure you choose the organizations that you volunteer with carefully. If you are someone who feels most comfortable working with a mentor, make sure that the organization can connect you with someone who is willing to walk you through a case. I would suggest making sure that the organization locks in a mentor before you even begin working on the case. That way, you can prepare questions from the very start. If mentoring is something you are interested in doing, it is an excellent way to help pro bono clients. Not only are you helping someone with limited means, you are also helping one of your colleagues learn from your knowledge and experience.
There are a lot of people out there who need your help. Your challenge this week is to give it.
Attorneys in Transition Event on May 8, 2009
I really like reading your blog, it has such practical advice with a personal touch. The challenges at the end are a great idea too.