Why do pro bono legal work? For me, it was more than just a way to do a public service, but also allowed me to more fully develop myself as a lawyer and to find a source of enjoyment — from the work, from the feeling that I was doing something good and from the colleagues I’ve worked with.
Law is not my first career; I attended law school at night while I worked full-time at a corporate job. I went straight from law school and the corporation to a transactional practice. As a result, I never had exposure to litigation or the courts. I never aspired to Vincent Gambini, much less Atticus Finch or Perry Mason. My entire focus was staying out of court. Paraphrasing my first-year contracts professor, I told clients: “My job is not to help you win in court; it’s to keep you out of court in the first place.”
