During a bankruptcy workshop this week, there was a moment in the event where the panelists who were scheduled to speak next were not present on the Zoom meeting. It was quickly discovered that an email was sent out to the panelists with the wrong time. Fortunately, all of them were eventually able to join and the program carried on with only a minor delay. As the workshop was ending, the attorney responsible for the time mishap joked that he would accept a pro bono case (represent someone who cannot afford to pay) as punishment for sending out the incorrect time. Another attorney jumped in and said pro bono work is a pleasure, not punishment. I am sure that the attorney who made the initial joke was only kidding, as he encouraged attorneys in attendance to accept a pro bono case multiple times throughout the event. However, I think his comment illuminates how pro bono work is thought of by many attorneys—as an annoying burden, rather than as an opportunity to serve, to promote justice and fairness, and to show compassion toward disadvantaged individuals in our society. Indeed, Put Something Back is constantly in need of more attorneys to accept their many available pro bono cases. As an aspiring attorney, whether or not I work for a legal aid organization and solely do pro bono work in the future, I know that I want a significant portion of my career to involve giving back to my community, because people should not be denied equal protection of the laws merely because they cannot afford an attorney. That is a far cry from the ideal of liberty and justice for all.
