CBA Record

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

Pro Bono Myths and Realities

By Bob Glaves CBF Executive Director

I f you talk to enough people about pro bono, it won’t take long before you will hear nonsense like pro bono is the solu- tion to chronic underfunding of legal aid, or equally silly statements like pro bono is nothing more than an overhyped waste of time and energy. And a whole lot of other untruths in between those two extremes. The truth is pro bono indeed does play an integral role in the larger access to justice landscape, not to mention in our legal pro- fession and in the justice system. But that role too often is overstated, understated or simply misstated and misunderstood, to the detriment of all of us who care about pro bono and equal access to justice. During this year’s Pro Bono Week, in a series of blog posts I discussed pro bono from the vantage point of five key pro bono stakeholder groups: lawyers, firms and law departments; legal aid organizations; government; the courts; and bar associa- tions, foundations, access to justice com- missions and other systemic players. Over This article is a“greatest hits”summary of a spe- cial series of blog posts during this year’s CBA/ CBF Pro BonoWeek the last week of October.You can see the full series at c hicagobarfounda- tion.org/bobservations.

At the 22nd Annual Pro Bono & Community Service Fair on October 29, nearly 300 attendees met with representatives from50 of Chicago’s pro bono, community service, and mentoring organizations, and found volunteer opportunities suited to their time and interests.

the course of my almost 25-year career as a lawyer, I’ve been privileged to experience pro bono from just about every key vantage point. When combined with the systemic lens I have had for 16 years now in my current role at the CBF, that experience provides a pretty well-balanced perspec- tive on where and how pro bono fits into the broader spectrum of access to justice. While each stakeholder group has its own distinct roles and responsibilities, there are a few common themes that emerge during the conversation.

Our Special Responsibility as Lawyers : While lawyers and law firms support and participate in a wide range of charitable com- munity service initiatives, as a profession we have a special responsibility to ensure that the justice system is fair and accessible to everyone regardless of their income or cir- cumstances. As lawyers, we have been given a special privilege, effectively having been handed the keys to the justice system. With that privilege comes a special responsibility to use our training and skills to help ensure that people who can’t afford our services

18 NOVEMBER 2015