Working for free is no way to earn a living, but experts say pro bono work generates professional benefits for both lawyers and firms.
Improving a firm’s brand awareness is one of those benefits, said Angus Gunn, a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s (BLG) Vancouver office.
“We find clients are saying to us, ‘What have you done for your community lately?’ It’s always nice to respond to them with a list of things we are doing,” said Gunn.
“The big corporate law firm isn’t always on people’s minds as providing low-cost legal representation, but that is something we do, and a lot of clients are quite pleased to learn about that.”
BLG is a national law firm and one of the biggest in Vancouver.
In August, it received a National Law Firm Award for pro bono legal services.
Gunn, who is also a director of Access Pro Bono, a non-profit society that promotes access to justice in B.C., said the primary motivator behind pro bono work for most lawyers is a desire to give back to community.
But there are resumé-building benefits as well.
“The usual motives are to improve their skill sets and to develop opportunities to appear in court that they might not otherwise have,” he said.
And there are benefits for young lawyers as well.
The legal profession is well known for its courtroom competitions, but less known is the contest between students to land a job straight out of law school.
Firms such as BLG recruit most of their people directly from law schools, and that means students need to develop their professional “tool kits” before they leave the classroom.
“Fewer and fewer cases go to court anymore, so a lot of students who want opportunities to get into court are realizing that a very good way to do that is to provide pro bono services,” Gunn said. “It’s a way of getting into court and getting good-quality experience early in their careers that they might otherwise not get.”
But what are the benefits for lawyers that have been practising for years?
After 15 years of litigation, Lang Michener LLP’s Lisa Ridgedale still finds six hours a month she can dedicate to pro bono work amid a busy professional and family life.
“My firm is supportive of doing it because anything lawyers can do as individuals to promote the name and reputation of the firm is a good thing … for a firm’s brand,” said Ridgedale, an associate at Lang Michener’s Vancouver office.
The question then is, How do you fit it in on top of your regular duties?
Ridgedale said some lawyers find it easier to handle one pro bono case at a time, although she attends regular clinics where she offers legal advice to a variety of clients.
Gunn said the easiest way to get involved is for a lawyer to submit his or her name to pro bono service providers such as Access Pro Bono.
Jamie Maclaren, Access’ executive director, said his group provides a full spectrum of legal services that solicitors and litigators can tap into to widen their professional expertise.
“In this day and age, lawyers are much more specialized than they used to be, and their practice focus is very narrow, so pro bono work allows them the opportunity to expand that focus,” Maclaren said.
He agreed with Gunn that more and more corporate clients want law firms that give back to the community, and pro bono work improves a firm’s reputation with the public.
And Gunn believes that can also generate more business.
Said Gunn: “My suspicion is that at the end of the day, if we’re doing good work and people see that we are, they’re more likely to bring us their paying work.”