The need for pro bono legal services for the poor has never been greater. Prior to the pandemic, legal services agencies were only able to meet a portion of the need. For example, due to lack of funding, legal aid programs in Massachusetts were forced to turn away 57 percent of residents who sought help last year.
With the coming recession and millions of families in this country facing food and housing insecurity, this gap will surely widen. Pro bono lawyering will be needed to meet the great demand and fill the gap.
In the latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, I spoke with Sue Finegan, a Member of Mintz Levin. Sue is a nationally recognized leader in pro bono representation. When I first spoke to Sue a year ago about being on the show, I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about how pro bono can help build your legal skills and increase your career satisfaction. Today I feel it is a moral imperative to encourage practicing lawyers to do their part in proving pro bono legal services.
Sue talks about how the current crises are impacting the need for pro bono representation and ways to get involved. She also talks about her own unique career as a lawyer who created an alternative career path after starting in a more traditional role at a large firm. You can listen to C2C wherever you get your podcasts or click here.
