Earlier in my legal career, I was on a legal team that provided pro bono representation to a client who had grown up in foster care and been subjected to horrific abuse. (Certain details pertaining to the representation are being withheld to preserve confidentiality.)
During our calls to discuss case strategy, we often advised the client of the daunting legal odds he faced. However, we committed to pursuing every good-faith option for protecting his legal interests.
Even though we often had relatively discouraging news to report, the client always seemed upbeat and appreciative.
At Christmas, he sent me a beautiful hand-drawn picture of an angel and a note saying that he viewed us—his legal team—as angels because, for the first time in his life, he felt seen. He said that regardless of the ultimate outcome of the legal representation, just knowing that people were advocating for him made him feel important.
When I had undertaken this representation, I assumed that the value of our pro bono services would be measured only by the outcome we achieved.
But that client taught me that the value of pro bono services also comes from making clients feel seen, acknowledging the challenge or injustice of their circumstances, and letting them know that they are worth fighting for.
Unstacking the deck to meet legal needs
This week is National Pro Bono Week, and study after study shows that the unmet legal needs in our communities are staggering.
When people are left to face a complicated labyrinth of legal procedures and protocol alone, they often feel overwhelmed and demoralized and wonder whether these systems are stacked against them or were even meant for them.
They may also simply give up, leaving their legal rights and interests unprotected. Whether it is a person in an abusive relationship who needs an order of protection, a child with a disability who is being improperly denied an individualized learning plan, or a senior citizen who needs redress from financial exploitation, without pro bono representation, many of these individuals may go without the protections to which they are entitled under law and never benefit from our legal and judicial systems.
When this happens, people’s confidence in these systems erodes.
Affirming that justice is for everyone
The theme of this year’s National Pro Bono Week is “Serving Justice, Strengthening Democracy.” The Preamble to the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct emphasizes that it is every lawyer’s responsibility to help further the public’s confidence in the justice system because “legal institutions in a constitutional democracy depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority.”
Rendering pro bono legal services helps to fulfill that role by not only substantively meeting legal needs but also affirming that our justice system must serve everyone, not just those with the means to pay for legal representation.
As Diane Goffinet, former Managing Attorney of Land of Lincoln’s Southern Regional Office, eloquently expressed in a Commission on Professionalism spotlight: “People with low incomes should have the same access to our [justice] system as those with higher incomes, or the system fails.”
Support pro bono in Illinois
During this National Pro Bono Week, please consider supporting pro bono services in Illinois and affirming that justice for all must include all who seek justice. Here are some options for doing so:
- The Illinois Supreme Court’s Balance the Scales of Justice Initiative connects Illinois-licensed lawyers with pro bono opportunities in their areas of interest. Fill out this short form to get involved.
- Take cases through legal aid organizations (e.g., Prairie State Legal Services, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid). The Illinois State Bar Association has compiled a list of legal aid organizations across Illinois on its website.
- The Chicago Bar Foundation/Paladin Pro Bono Opportunity Portal lists pro bono opportunities across the state filtered by engagement requirements, practice area, location, etc.
- Answer questions and provide legal advice at legal clinics or hotlines/help desks. For example, the Public Interest Law Initiative runs Illinois Free Legal Answers, a secure website that lawyers can log in to at their convenience to answer questions about civil legal problems from low-income Illinoisans.
- Undertake pro bono matters through your firm (either on your own or through a firm-led pro bono program).
- Take cases through court-led pro bono programs (e.g., Northern District of Illinois Pro Bono Program).
- Financially support a legal aid organization or bar foundation.
Acknowledging those who make a difference
Earlier this year, I moderated a session on the importance of pro bono services during the Commission on Professionalism’s Future Is Now: Legal Services conference. I asked attendees to highlight organizations that are making a significant difference in Illinois.
Some of the names posted in the chat include the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Investing in Justice Campaign, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Legal Aid Chicago, Center for Disability and Elder Law, CARPLS, ABA Free Legal Answers, Lawyers for the Creative Arts, Pro Bono Network, and Administer Justice.
Seeing this list made me think back to the drawing of the angel my client sent me many years ago. It represents some of the angels in our legal community who are expanding access to justice and ensuring that people feel seen and included in our justice system.
The Commission’s monthly newsletter features insights from Erika Harold on legal professionalism, leadership, and personal growth. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
“Standing Up to Intimidation: Confronting Bullying in the Legal Profession” CLE
What Your Legal Organization’s Anti-Bullying Policy Should Contain
The post How a Client’s Drawing Made Me Rethink the Value of Legal Services appeared first on 2Civility.