CBA Record November 2015

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Chicago Bar Foundation
Report
By Bob Glaves
CBF Executive Director
If you talk to enough people about pro
bono, it won’t take long before you will
hear nonsense like pro bono is the solu-
tion to chronic underfunding of legal aid,
or equally silly statements like pro bono is
nothing more than an overhyped waste of
time and energy. And a whole lot of other
untruths in between those two extremes.
The truth is pro bono indeed does play
an integral role in the larger access to justice
landscape, not to mention in our legal pro-
fession and in the justice system. But that
role too often is overstated, understated or
simply misstated and misunderstood, to
the detriment of all of us who care about
pro bono and equal access to justice.
During this year’s Pro Bono Week, in
a series of blog posts I discussed pro bono
from the vantage point of five key pro bono
stakeholder groups: lawyers, firms and
law departments; legal aid organizations;
government; the courts; and bar associa-
tions, foundations, access to justice com-
missions and other systemic players. Over
This article is a“greatest hits”summary of a spe-
cial series of blog posts during this year’s CBA/
CBF Pro BonoWeek the last week of October.You
can see the full series at chicagobarfounda-
Pro Bono Myths and Realities
the course of my almost 25-year career as
a lawyer, I’ve been privileged to experience
pro bono from just about every key vantage
point. When combined with the systemic
lens I have had for 16 years now in my
current role at the CBF, that experience
provides a pretty well-balanced perspec-
tive on where and how pro bono fits into
the broader spectrum of access to justice.
While each stakeholder group has its own
distinct roles and responsibilities, there are
a few common themes that emerge during
the conversation.
Our Special Responsibility as Lawyers:
While lawyers and law firms support and
participate in a wide range of charitable com-
munity service initiatives, as a profession we
have a special responsibility to ensure that
the justice system is fair and accessible to
everyone regardless of their income or cir-
cumstances. As lawyers, we have been given
a special privilege, effectively having been
handed the keys to the justice system. With
that privilege comes a special responsibility
to use our training and skills to help ensure
that people who can’t afford our services
At the 22nd Annual Pro Bono & Community Service Fair on October 29, nearly 300
attendees met with representatives from50 of Chicago’s pro bono, community service,
and mentoring organizations, and found volunteer opportunities suited to their time
and interests.
18 NOVEMBER 2015