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Institutionalizing Public Service in Law School: Results on the Impact of Mandatory Pro Bono Programs

2008; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

1556-5068

Robert Granfield,

Judicial and Constitutional Studies

The legal profession's commitment to the expansion of pro bono has achieved significant gains in recent years. In practice, law schools seem relatively flexible in what constitutes pro bono work, accepting assignments that are more closely related to public service such as teaching or legal work for non-profit civic organizations not specifically associated with poor or indigent populations. While attorneys who participated in a mandatory pro bono program in law school report slightly higher levels of pro bono work with individuals who were poor or indigent compared to those who did not participate in such programs, the difference is not statistically significant. Despite these differences, there are no significant variations between lawyers who participated in mandatory pro bono during law school and those lawyers who were not required to perform pro bono in order to graduate. While these findings seem to reflect differences in the hierarchy of the legal profession, the greater role of faith-based organizations in the South and the tendency for lawyers in smaller and less prestigious work settings to emphasize informal methods of acquiring pro bono work, there does not appear to be any distinct variations across those lawyers who were required to participate in mandatory pro bono during law school and those who were not.