Big Law Lawyers Doing Pro-Bono Work: How to Provide Meaningful Support to Public Interest Organizations While Keeping Your Day Job

Big law lawyers often struggle to balance meeting their billable hours with a desire to support the public interest issues they care about. Even where their firms encourage pro bono, many aren't familiar with how to find organizations to collaborate with and clients to represent, or believe they lack the legal expertise required to meet those clients' needs and create lasting impact. This program will dispel the myths surrounding pro bono work, help private sector lawyers better understand what those partnerships look like, the challenges they may face, and how to overcome them. Additionally, this program will help associates and partners understand how to meaningfully incorporate pro bono work into their practice to support the communities that matter to them.

1. Review what qualifies as pro bono work and why it matters

2. Identify the ways law firms and the public sector may partner on pro bono matters

3. Analyze the challenges to pro bono collaboration and how to overcome them to create lasting partnerships

4. Discuss best practices for incorporating pro bono work into your legal practice in a manner that best serves the communities you care about