ABA Board of Governors' Mark Schickman
Bar president says Pro Bono Week underscores long range commitment
October 26, 2009
Beneath the ornate rotunda of a New York State trial courthouse in downtown Manhattan, a handful of in-house lawyers and law firm attorneys were honored on Oct. 26 for their pro bono work in areas ranging from immigration to helping disabled students in public schools.
The event was one of about 500 planned during the first National Pro Bono Week, a project of the American Bar Association's standing committee on pro bono and public service. The idea, organizers said, was to recognize attorneys and firms for their pro bono efforts and highlight the growing need for legal assistance. More than 340 firms, law schools, legal departments, bar associations and other groups in nearly every state were expected to participate. The events began on Oct. 25 and will conclude on Oct. 31.
"We knew it would be big, but we didn't know it would be this huge," said Mark Schickman, the former chairman of the pro bono standing committee, who began organizing the project in 2007.
In Utica, N.Y., for example, the Oneida County Bar Association planned free community screenings of the classic legal film To Kill a Mockingbird on Oct. 27. Pro bono attorneys and musicians were scheduled to take the stage for a fundraiser in Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 29, while in San Francisco volunteer attorneys planned on Oct. 28 to assist thousands of homeless people on a wide range of issues during Project Homeless Connect.
One of the main goals of National Pro Bono Week was to encourage more attorneys to participate in pro bono work, Schickman said. He cited a recent ABA findings that 73% of U.S. attorneys do pro bono work.
"Just image what we could do if we got that figure up to 80%," he said.
Esther Lardent, president of the Georgetown Law Center's Pro Bono Institute, said it remained to be seen whether National Pro Bono week would mark a lasting improvement in the availability of legal assistance. Australia and the United Kingdom have long organized similar projects yet remain weak in the provision of unpaid legal services to the needy.
"If what comes out of this is long-lasting and results in more and better pro bono work, I think that's great," Lardent said. "If what we have is more of a flash in the pan and lawyers getting together to congratulate each other, it's a little bit concerning. Their time might better be spent doing more [pro bono] work."
Speaking during Monday's New York kickoff event, New York State Bar Association President-elect Stephen P. Younger hoped the project proves more than a flash in the pan. "It's not just for this one week. It's for all year long," he said.
He noted that the tough economic climate has increased the need for pro bono services even as public interest legal groups have seen their resources cut.
"We need even more lawyers like yourselves to do pro bono," Younger told the crowd.
Those honored during the New York gathering included:
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson for its longtime representation of asylum seekers.
Greenberg Traurig for its work with the Family Court Project, which provides pro bono advice on family law topics.
Latham & Watkins for representing people who had their vehicles seized by the New York City Police Department.
Karen Sloan can be contacted at ksloan@alm.com.
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