raising proFessionals: law sCHool pro Bono work
professionalism & Ethics Committee
Chairs: Joan Boles – Bay Area Legal Services & Lynn Hanshaw – Langford & Myers, P.A.
B
y representing those
who would otherwise be
unrepresented, pro bono
lawyers play a critical
role in narrowing the justice gap in
this country. Building a bridge from
law school to practice that includes
treating pro bono work as a
professional responsibility is critical
to our profession’s responsibilities.
With the privilege of a legal
education comes the responsibility
to help those who need help.
Indeed, the Oath of Admission
to The Florida Bar says to never
reject, for personal reasons, “the
cause of the defenseless or oppressed,
or delay anyone’s cause for lucre
or malice.” Lucre, meaning money,
is not a word many of us use after
gaining admission to the Bar, yet
most lawyers do engage in meaning -
ful pro bono work through out their
careers. Fortunately for all of us,
many of those lawyers are also
willing to supervise law students who
want to help with the pro bono work.
I speak with law students and
recent alumni every week who tell
me that their pro bono or clinical
experiences are the most compelling
of their entire law school career.
component of
Stetson does have
the students’
a pro bono require -
education.
ment: Students
Remember your
must engage in a
own Professional
minimum of thirty
Responsibility
hours of community
class in law school?
service and thirty
It may have helped
hours of pro bono
you pass the
work in order to
MPRE, but there
be eligible for
is no single three-
graduation.
Building a bridge
credit law school
To be sure,
from law school to
class that can
some students are
ingrain notions of
motivated to do
practice that includes
true professionalism
pro bono work solely
treating pro bono
in a student’s mind.
by the graduation
Working on a pro
requirement. But
as a professional
bono case, however,
even those students
responsibility
can and does make
consistently report
a difference.
that seeing what a
is critical.
Research by
difference their work
the ABA shows
can make is inspiring
that law students
enough to keep them
who engage in pro bono work
engaged in pro bono work after
continue to do so after graduation
graduation. When they are helping
and throughout their careers.
untangle a consumer protection
Without pro bono lawyers, the
issue, assisting in filling out Family
students’ education would be
Court forms, or helping low-income
incomplete. The next time you are
taxpayers file their taxes, and
asked to represent a client who has
everything else that pro bono lawyers
no “lucre,” and a law student asks
do, law students’ eyes are opened
to help you, please know that your
to the power and responsibility that
contributions make a difference not
comes with this education. Students
just in the life
cannot have these experiences
of the client but
without supervising attorneys.
of the student
To those of you who engage in
as well.
pro bono work, thank you. And
to those of you who supervise law
students in undertaking pro bono
Author:
work, a very special thank you.
Ann M. Piccard
Teaching law students not just
- Stetson
what to do but why to do it, in the
University
context of pro bono work, is a key
College of Law
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54
MAR - APR 2019
|
HCBA LAWYER