Career Clinic: Charity begins... elsewhere

Grow up!

Male solicitor -12 Jun 2008 | 12:34

It's a bummer isn't it? My firm does support authorised pro bono and gives fee earners 20 hours credit towards their targets. They regard it as a serious part of CSR. On the shop floor however, one is still under enormous pressure to record chargeable time. I run a pro bono scheme and getting volunteers is a nightmare. Perhaps in your firm nobody has thought up a scheme. If you present them with a good idea and show how it can be achieved, the partners might be more receptive? Especially if someone else is taking care of it! Clients nowadays want to know what pro bono work their solicitors do and it is not usually enough to mumble something vague such as "helping the local school every now and then". They want to see a demonstrable commitment.

City Sol -12 Jun 2008 | 12:39

To poster who says "grow up", i think she should take heed to your own advice. The sad reality is most firms very consciously inflate the extent of their pro bono work just to falsely transmit to the world that they are taking corporate social responsibility seriously. It's all no more then a facade, another box ticked off their list through heightened exaggerations and misleading information.

Anonymous -12 Jun 2008 | 15:21

Are you happy at your firm otherwise? If not, perhaps you could think about moving to a firm with a stronger commitment to Pro Bono (and do some research amongst your peers to make sure that their claims are true!)If you enjoy your job, you can do one of two things. You can either bring it up at your next performance review as something you really want to get involved in. Try and have some suggestions ready if possible - perhaps you could speak to the person responsible for co-ordinating pro bono at your firm? (If you'd feel comfortable doing so.)Otherwise, you can investigate ways to use your legal talents outside work on a pro bono basis. I am sure you will be able to find a charity/similar organisation who would relish some free legal advice. Good luck!

Anonymous -12 Jun 2008 | 15:27

You could offer to spearhead an initiative yourself. In the meantime, rest easy in the knowledge that an LLP is a cash-generating vehicle and as such, has no social responsibilities. Or indeed, any responsibilities at all beyond making money for its equity partners.

JT (aka Milton Friedman) -12 Jun 2008 | 16:11

At 2 years PQE you are only just realising how, and why, firms do pro bono? I agree, grow-up.

Associate, Mid-tier -12 Jun 2008 | 16:31

Join an American firm - they are much more likely to be more pro bono-friendly. Here, following the merger, associates can count unlimited pro bono hours to their billable hours target for the year. We are behind the US in terms of our pro bono work here in the London office, but we have a great Pro Bono Committee and momentum is building.

Dewey & LeBoeuf associate -12 Jun 2008 | 17:04

If you're serious about providing you services for free why not do it in your own time rather than the firm's? Or is it simply the case that you only want to do pro bono work if you're still being paid....

Anonymous -12 Jun 2008 | 17:16

Speak to your business development people about the kind of pro bono questions the firm has to respond to in tenders. Offer to spearhead an initiative that will give the firm something to say in response to these questions. Even if all you do is collate existing pro bono efforts (some people might do being something quietly and off their own bats) and allow BD to talk up the relationship with the firm's chosen charity that year, that will turn a disorganised mishmash into "an eclectic range of contribution to our wider community undertaken by staff and partners at all levels". Good for the firm, and good for your career too.

Old cycnic -12 Jun 2008 | 17:28

This sounds like a very short-sighted firm. Many trainees now critically review prospective firms' stance on pro bono as an indicator of "good culture". When it becomes known that this firm are paying lip-service to Pro Bono I think they will certainly be less attractive as an employer. Firms that encourage staff to engage in Pro Bono are likely to be interested in more than just the bottom line. Let's face it, most of us didn't become lawyers just for the money. If I was that motivated by money then I would have gone into investment banking. For long term happiness in your work, and in your life generally, it is strongly recommended to spend a decent amount of time giving something back to your community. An employer who makes this easy is clever - and is more likely to earn your loyalty than a firm which is trying to squeeze every last billable hour that it can out of you.I think you should strongly consider moving to a better firm.

Jonathan Pearl, GC Sony Ericsson -12 Jun 2008 | 17:41

Law firms are businesses. If you really want to do pro bono work volunteer to assist an organisation or legal clinic on top of your job. Like it or lump it the majority of law firms pro bono efforts are merely shallow PR exercises.

Anonymous -13 Jun 2008 | 08:58

A number of the posts above indicate that when a lawyer undertakes pro bono work through their firm they are somehow using the firm's time rather than their own. Is this really the case? Do all those lawyers who do pro bono work actually decline billable work from clients when a partner gives them something to do? I always assumed that lawyers were expected to bill the requisite hours and would not be allowed to turn down billable work in favour of pro bono, in which case taking on pro bono would be in addition to rather than instead of your billable work? How do these things actually operate in practice?

Confused Student -13 Jun 2008 | 11:04

'many trainees now critically examin firms' pro bono effort.....' I love it, carry on living in la-la land. Many trainees are glad to have a TC period. They may look at a firm's pro bono effort, but more probably just so they can repeat it to the partners in TC inetrviews to flatter them.I am sure some trainees may take a negative view of a firm if it isn't serious, but haven't met one who's said 'sorry MC/top 50 firms, even though you have just offered me a TC, despite my effort for the last 2 years to get on your vac scheme and numerous tests, but because i don't think your pro-bono is serious, i'll turn it down' get real!anyway, if one is serious, there are many opportunities to get involved. there is no need to blame it on your employer.

trainee -13 Jun 2008 | 11:19

A law firm may be a business but Law is also a profession and as such don't people think it has some degree of responsibility to assist those who cannot afford representation or advice? How would the medical profession be viewed if every doctor point blank refused to treat anyone on the NHS because the fees were lower than those they could charge through private practice? The fact that law as a profession struggles regarding diversity already gives the public cause enough to think badly of it. Coupled with an attitude that neither does the profession have any responsibility to provide a service to the underprivileged is perhaps a step too far. Pro Bono should be voluntary and you may not be able to criticise a law firm for running as a business but to those lawyers above who have gone a step further so as to dis-encourage and criticise other lawyers such as the poster who do wish to give something back, it is you who should grow up and stop marring the profession.

Anonymous -13 Jun 2008 | 11:25

The poster a few up makes me laugh. The NHS don't turn people away.... because they're funded by taxpayer's money! If medical care were completely privatised then of course there'd be different markets. In any case, those who can't afford a lawyer can apply for legal aid. Pro Bono is not a responsibility. It is a beneficial and charitable act undertaken by choice.

JT -13 Jun 2008 | 11:51

JT your attention to detail is somewhat lacking. I did not make any reference to the NHS turning people away but to the doctors: The NHS do NOT pay a doctors as much as they earn for doing the same act privately hence the reason that you can have the same operation with the same surgeon at the same hospital privately or on the NHS - the difference being the waiting time and the fact that doctors have some choice over whether they take on work on the NHS rates or privately. This is the crux of the problem with local dentisits: there are no shortage of them but there is a shortage of them willing to work on the lower NHS rates. Additionally I chose my words carefully 'responsibility' is not the same as 'duty' I think you are confusing the two. Finally 'legal aid' is something from the history books it no longer exists: it has been replaced.

Anonymous -13 Jun 2008 | 12:07

I am staggered at the ignorance of one of the earlier posters on legal aid.I practise on the High Street in the West Midlands. The only publicly funded work my firm undertakes now is criminal. You'll find it very difficult to find many firms who remain fully committed to publicly funded family work and other work.Have you considered volunteering independently of your firm ? I was a trustee of a charity for two years. It was most interesting and I had to work with non lawyer trustees who do not always appreciate the duties of trustees.Also, the Prince's Trust is always on the hunt for business mentors. At two years PQE you may not have enough experience to be ready but some firms positively encourage that kind of thing.

high street solicitor -13 Jun 2008 | 14:45

To 'trainee' above - I was offered a training contract at a Magic Circle firm and the top 10 firm at which I practice. One of the main reasons that I took the job I am in is the support that the two partners who interviewed me demonstrated during interview for the special needs and other pro bono work that I do. By contrast, the MC firm suggested that if that was my real interest, I should do that instead. During my training contract and in the two years since I have qualified, I have continued to do a lot of pro bono (nearly 500 hours last year) I met my billable targets for a bonus last year, at which point all of those pro bono hours counted towards the level of my bonus. The partners have generally been incredibly supportive about giving me time off to do pro bono work and I am on my firm's Community Involvement Committee so involved with the strategy side as well. I know at least two students from the last vac scheme who took this firm over others in the top ten in part because of the involvement they had with pro bono here during their vac scheme. I genuinely do think it makes a difference to where a lot of people want to practice. At the same time, I (and everyone else here) acknowledges that this is a business and your billable hours count. However, there are places which genuinely are committed to pro bono.

Associate, top ten firm -13 Jun 2008 | 17:13

To the person that asked whether lawyers do pro bono work in their normal working time, the answer is certainly yes for some firms. As someone else mentioned, it's probably because it's a US firm, but our firm actually has a target for a certain percentage of billable hours which should be pro bono. Once we've taken on a pro bono matter, it is treated as far as possible like a paying matter, and it counts towards our billable hours targets for the year (I think up to a cap of maybe 50 hours a year). It's nice to be in an environment where we're actually encouraged to do pro bono work and where it's treated as part of our normal workload.

nearly NQ, US firm -13 Jun 2008 | 17:14

hi there. your firm's pro bono efforts may be token, but it's there. can you not make more of the token effort, perhaps push the boat out where others have only been going through the motions? be careful about being too aggressive in pushing pro bono further up management's agenda, because that is up to management; you could make yourself a target by appearing to rock the boat and implicitly criticising management. uinfortunately it makes no difference to you and your career even if clients see that your firm does so little - do clients care at all, personally i think they only care about getting good advice and value for money. if your consicence won't allow you to make such limited efforts, you can always do work in your spare time, though be careful to read your employment contract because you may need your firm's consent before you take on the charitable work (and the fact you won't be paid anything is irrelevant). so avoid working for any controversial organisations or causes! all the best, m

May -13 Jun 2008 | 17:27

To Confused student - Each law firm will vary in its approach, but fundamentally as it is billable work that makes money for the firm, the majority of hours done by associates need to be billable rather than pro bono otherwise the firm would go bust. My firm allows associates to work on pro bono work during the working day, but associates must also ensure that they do their billable work. We do not differentiate between billable clients and pro bono clients and I don't think we could under the Code of Conduct. This means that if capacity becomes an issue either the person working on the pro bono matter needs to work longer hours or at weekends or, if they are very busy, the work will get taken over by someone else in the firm. Pro bono work is not forced on people, so it is up to the individual to decide whether or not they have the time to take on a pro bono matter and whether or not they want to do pro bono work in the first place.

Dewey & LeBoeuf associate -13 Jun 2008 | 17:33

If your firm isn't prepared to take pro bono seriously then do something like become trustee of a charity or become a school governor. Make sure they know you are doing it and encourage them to give you paid time off to do it (you'll probably find the meetings are in the evenings anyway but you may need time off for training and if a school governor, to visit the school). Some firms give paid time off, others expect you to use your annual leave. But they should support these kinds of activities. Alternatively, leave for a firm that does take pro bono seriously - there are plenty out there despite the more cynical posts here. Some partners who earn huge salaries do give something back by supporting pro bono. And as for legal aid, don't make me laugh. Citizens advice or law centre if you are lucky, otherwise forget any kind of free or low cost legal advice.

Helen -13 Jun 2008 | 19:45

I have worked as a fee earner paralegal and I know that in top 20 London law/US firms you are not necessarily busy all of the time. There is room to take pro bono caseload and a firm may not benefit financially from such work but they will benefit from (a) what is going on in society (knowledge), and (b) the case can be used to give trainees/paralegals practical experience and the complexity of some cases may even assist assistants, partners and equity partners, (c) don't presume that just because it is pro bono that you would also not pick up reciprical business, ie people have friends, colleagues, family who may need assistance and are prepared to pay : referral work is a big part of a law firm's business - you usually get it because of an act of good faith - plus you never know when a person in need of pro bono will resurface and repay your consideration.

ANON -13 Jun 2008 | 20:24

I think it would be worth taking the iniative to put together some sort of scheme, such as helping at a law centre/ advice clinic. It's easy enough to sell to the partners on the basis that it makes for good training for junior lawyers, giving them client contact, and forcing them to develop the skill of identifying a problem quickly and giving advice in what is often a very limited timeframe.

Associate, mid-size firm -16 Jun 2008 | 13:41

You may be able to sell it to your firm more easily if you can get them to view activities as falling under the banner of 'social responsibility' rather than strict pro bono i.e. taking a case on for free. The latter can be open ended and could eat up lots of time that would be better spent charging up a storm. Social responsibility can include many different activities where the time spent can be limited to a specific duration. My firm allows us to volunteer to work with older people and we help out with tasks that usually only take 2 - 3 hours at a time. This also means that support staff can get involved as well as fee earners and so is more inclusive. As other posters have suggested, if all else fails either do things on your own time or consider changing jobs.

Birmingham lawyer -16 Jun 2008 | 17:20