“Charity and Beating Begins at Home”: The Aetiology of the New Culture of Pro Bono Publico

Lawyers' Pro Bono Service and American-Style Civil Legal Assistance

“…The present study finds that greater levels of participation are associated with higher legal services revenues and specifically targeted recruiting practices, including working with specific firms to secure their lawyers' services. Both of these findings are consistent with the observation by scholars of the ''new pro bono'' that large law firms play an increasingly important role in organized civil pro bono programs (Boon & Whyte 1999;Cummings 2004). As analysis of the NSLCS revealed, in 1984, more than four-fifths (82 percent) of the total hours worked in organized pro bono were considered part of lawyers' paid work responsibilities.…”

“…. firms into the legal aid arena'' as ''indicative of one segment of the profession seeking to claim that they embody [the] selfless ideal of professionalism while wishing to retain the privileges of monopoly'' (Noone & Tomsen 2001:26;Boon & Whyte 1999;Cummings 2004). We know little about how this highly visible activity by large firms affects other lawyers' behavior.…”

The Meaning of Pro Bono: Institutional Variations in Professional Obligations among Lawyers

“…These lawyers may also be more supportive of mandatory proposals because they either possess the administrative support to pursue pro bono cases or are perhaps able to ''buy out'' of direct service by ''providing financial support to organizations providing free legal services to persons of limited means'' (Spaulding 1998(Spaulding :1410. In some cases, large law firm attorneys may even be encouraged to do pro bono by their wealthy corporate clients who have incorporated a value of civic engagement into their vision of corporate responsibility (Boon & Whyte 1999). It is also interesting to note that large law firm attorneys believe that their professional skills are enhanced through pro bono work, perhaps reflecting the fact that many partners in large law firms view pro bono work as an opportunity to provide training to young lawyers (Epstein 2002;Spaulding 1998;Cummings 2004).…”

“…Rationales for pro bono service rest largely on claims of professionalism: the value of pro bono service in (2001:262). See also Boon andWhyte 1999 andRichard Wilson 2004 for a discussion of international pro bono. meeting unmet legal needs, especially to marginalized social groups, as well as the value of pro bono service to individual lawyers and their workplaces (Rhode 2005).…”

“…From an institutionalist perspective, the practice of pro bono legal work may be understood as emerging not solely out of differences in individual traits among lawyers. Rather, the choice to participate in pro bono work as well as the type of services provided are mediated by external factors that frame preferences and behavior as well as opportunities for pro bono (Boon & Whyte 1999).…”