C. Legal Service Organizations and Pro Bono Service
The following points are suggested to facilitate a discussion about pro bono opportunities.
- Discuss ABA, Illinois, and local aspirations for levels of pro bono service. Refer to the Preamble of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. Discuss pro bono goal-setting with the new lawyer.
- Discuss any pro bono activities in which you are involved. What led you to become involved in these matters? What have you gained from these experiences?
- Discuss ways in which you have developed your skills through pro bono service, or ways in which you have seen colleagues sharpen their skills by taking advantage of pro bono opportunities.
- If the New lawyer works in the same firm/organization, discuss the firm’s pro bono policy. What hours count toward minimum billable, if applicable? Are there limits to what the firm will “count” toward an attorney’s annual hours? Who is the appropriate contact person to express interest in pro bono matters?
- Discuss how the new attorney might bring in a new pro bono matter as a new client for his/her organization. How would the attorney ensure a new client and matter were acceptable to the firm? What are the procedures for opening new client matters? What is the conflicts procedure to ensure there are no conflicts in representing the new client?
- Discuss Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5, effective January 1, 2010, easing conflicts rules in nonprofit and court-annexed limited legal services programs.
- Provide the new attorney with resources from which the new attorney may discover an organization whose work interests him/her. Local and state bar association foundations often list organizations funded on their websites or in their annual reports, which may also provide helpful information.
See the Illinois Pro Bono Volunteer Opportunity Search website:
www.illinoisprobono.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=volunteer.showVolunteerOpportunities,