Law Firms Can Go Beyond Pro Bono to Expand Access to Justice

It’s graduation season, which means the next class of lawyers is walking across the stage, receiving their long-awaited degrees, and starting to study for the dreaded bar exam.

Our society relies heavily on some of these graduates choosing to work in public interest law, striving to achieve the ideal of equal justice for all, especially in under-resourced and marginalized communities. But according to the Legal Service Corporation, 92% of people’s civil legal needs went unmet in 2022, leaving a massive gap in our justice system.

As legal professionals, we have a collective professional responsibility to address that gap. If we are to meet the legal needs of our society, we must grow the number of full-time attorneys working in public service careers.

To do that, we need more philanthropic capital. In other words, more law firms need to commit philanthropic support for public interest law.

Pro bono work is a critical way for communities to access legal services, but it’s not a substitute for equipping a full-time lawyer with the financial support and resources to address community needs.

And when law firms financially support this work, we can better ensure that equal justice under law finally becomes a reality for all Americans.

Volunteering legal services to protect families from unlawful evictions, secure health-care benefits for veterans, or safeguard the rights of domestic violence survivors is incredibly important and valuable. But law firm pro bono hours realistically can only cover so much ground. Providing sustainable investments to mobilize lawyers working full time on these issues enhances the impact of the pro bono work, as well as the value to communities.

This is why supporting fellowship programs that place lawyers in full-time public interest jobs is essential. Funding fellowship positions that allow legal services organizations to hire attorneys beyond their budgets adds legal capacity to such organizations. One way that law firms can make this sustained philanthropic support is through creating foundations.

Since 1999, Greenberg Traurig, through its Holly Skolnick Fellowship Foundation, has contributed more than $14.5 million to fund 201 Equal Justice Works fellows. Because of this investment, communities receive life-changing legal services. Increasing investments in public interest law helps passionate attorneys realize their aspirations in a competitive and underfunded field where applicants far outnumber entry-level positions.

Greenberg Traurig fellow Tracie Johnson supported young women of color with criminal records in accessing meaningful employment opportunities, but the impact of lawyers like Tracie goes beyond the fellowship. Tracie, like so many supported by this type of investment, has stayed in public interest law and is now serving as a youth ombudsman for the City of Philadelphia.

Sustained investments in fellowship programs create a lasting impact on our communities, country, and justice system. With 92% of civil legal matters unaddressed, we must approach this issue with every tactic available. The issues that public interest attorneys address are woven into access to education, access to safe housing, and access to health services among others.

This is not just about supporting more full-time attorneys providing free legal services, it’s about supporting the well-being and stability of communities across our country.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

Author Information

Verna Williams is CEO of Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization creating a community of leaders committed to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.

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