Let’s get this straight — the economy is in the tank, bankruptcies and layoffs are growing and lawyers’ jobs and incomes are affected just like everyone else. And you want me to give away my legal services? You must be nuts!”
As counterintuitive as this seems, a raft of recent articles indicates that many national law firms are strengthening their pro bono programs with additional staff, new programs and externships, even as profits are down and cost-cutting measures abound. Since large firms, as a rule, are driven by metrics rather than altruism, why they are investing in an activity that might be viewedas a financial drain, rather than as a central element in their legal practice?
