Where Do You Live? Pro Bono Month 2002

• Publication year: 2002
• Pages: 33
• Citation: Vol. 31 No. 5 Pg. 33

31 Colo.Law. 33 Colorado Lawyer 2002.

2002, May, Pg. 33. Where Do You Live? Pro Bono Month 2002

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Vol. 31, No. 5, Pg. 33

The Colorado Lawyer
May 2002
Vol. 31, No. 5 [Page 33]

Features

Where Do You Live? Pro Bono Month 2002
by JoAnn Viola Salazar

It's spring. Time to clean up the yard, get the flowers planted, and think about painting the house. Watching our neighbors around us, we are pleased we can work together to make the place we live pleasant. But we don't just live in houses; we live in communities that are a part of something larger?a city, a state, or a nation

As lawyers, we are part of a professional community as well How can we work together to improve that community? What steps can we take to show our dedication to our profession

Cleaning Up the Yard:
Community Obligations

Volunteering our time and expertise helps us to connect with our community. Doing pro bono work also connects members of the bar with the legal services community. Legal services programs alone cannot provide services to all low-income clients in need. Through pro bono work, we can expand the range of services available to clients beyond those traditionally covered by legal services programs (such as bankruptcy, consumer, family, and civil rights law).1

The issue of providing legal services to the poor should not be addressed only by attorneys, but by the community as a whole. Nevertheless, our involvement in pro bono issues brings the cause of legal services to the attention of community leaders and increases their support for fundraising, legislative changes, and establishing court and public policies.

When we do pro bono work, we are assisting the court. Litigants with attorneys take much less court time and energy than those who attempt to represent themselves. Participation in pro bono service improves the administration of justice for everyone.

Painting the House: The Public Image

Lawyers are always examining the way the public perceives them. Visible efforts by attorneys on behalf of the poor promote the positive image of the legal profession.2 Serving on boards and volunteering in schools and elsewhere can demonstrate that our communities are important to us and that we are involved in their maintenance and improvement. No public relations firm can do for us what we can do for ourselves through service to others in need and to our...