Speakers:

  • Emily Ellis: Shareholder and Pro Bono Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
  • Jeffrey Harvey: CEO, Community Legal Services
  • Sarah Lahlou-Amine: Shareholder and Pro Bono Committee Member, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
  • Sylvia Novinsky: Director, NC Pro Bono Resource Center, NC Equal Access to Justice Commission

It was another action-packed EJC Conference, and while I only had the opportunity to attend a few sessions, each one was excellent! One session that stood out for its blend of big-picture ideas and practical examples was Building the Pipeline: Cultivating Pro Bono Leadership Across Career Stages. The discussion focused on how legal aid organizations, law schools, and law firms can work together to build a stronger culture of pro bono service throughout every stage of a legal career. The session was organized by Pro Bono Institute.

Session Highlights

While the session covered a wide range of topics and perspectives, a few practical ideas and examples particularly stood out to me as creative, replicable approaches to building stronger and more sustainable pro bono engagement.

Associates Taking Charge

The panel shared several examples of how associates can lead pro bono efforts within their firms, including creative ways to engage partners and help associates build stronger internal relationships.

Examples Included:

  • Panelists noted that it is often harder to engage partners in pro bono work than associates. One strategy discussed was encouraging associates to ask partners to supervise them on pro bono matters. This not only helps increase partner engagement in pro bono work, but also creates valuable opportunities for associates to build relationships with partners and get on their radar for future billable work. Those connections are an important part of developing an associate’s practice and progressing on the shareholder track. It’s a win-win for both associates and firms.
  • Brownstein Hyatt’s Associates Committee comes up with a signature project each year and most recently decided on creating Colorado Free Legal Answers. The Committee is involved in every aspect of building out the initiative, from creating the structure of the program to developing strategies for maintaining a strong and sustainable volunteer pipeline.
  • Each year, associates across Colorado lead a fundraising campaign that includes a friendly competition among firms to raise critical funds for the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado. The campaign reflects the legal community’s deep commitment to access to justice. More information is available here.

Any Checkboxes Missing?

Pro bono is often discussed as a skill-building tool, and the panelists shared tangible ways firms can intentionally build that into associate development programs.

For example, if an associate has a skill or experience requirement on their development plan that they have not yet checked off, firms can encourage them to take on a pro bono matter that helps build those skills. Pro bono work can become both a service opportunity and a meaningful professional development tool, with collaboration between pro bono and professional development teams.

Billable Clients Want Lawyers Who Do Non-Billable Work

Panelists shared that corporate clients increasingly want law firm teams staffed with lawyers who are engaged in their communities and committed to pro bono service. In that sense, pro bono work can also help sustain and strengthen billable client relationships.

Retired Lawyers + Law Students Building Access to Justice

The panel also discussed a highly successful program through Pisgah Legal Services where retired attorneys play a significant role in providing pro bono legal services. This work became especially important following Tropical Storm Helene in Asheville, where Pisgah Legal Services is located.

Additionally, the panel discussed the role of law school pro bono programs and law student pro bono service, which help instill a lasting ethos of public service in future lawyers.

Overall, the session highlighted that building a strong pro bono culture requires intentional investment at every stage of the legal profession: from law students to senior attorneys. Whether through mentorship, leadership opportunities for associates, or innovative partnerships between firms and legal aid organizations, the panelists made clear that cultivating future pro bono leaders is essential to sustaining and expanding access to justice for years to come.

Stacy Zinken

Stacy brings 20 years of cross-functional marketing, business development and client success experience to her role as Chief Experience Officer at Paladin PBC. With her in-house law firm experience, as well as her subsequent experience working within legal technology companies, Stacy is uniquely positioned to connect the dots between strategic value of technology and law firm growth. She builds strategies and programs that are centered on the voice of the client.

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