Access To Justice Commission Update

Young Lawyers Do Pro Bono
By: Hannah Silk Kapasi

You have heard all of the excuses. Young lawyers don’t do pro bono. Young lawyers are so busy working on billable cases that they have no time for unbillable work. Partners look askance at pro bono work. Young lawyers can’t get the mentoring support they need on a pro bono case. But all of these justifications for not taking a pro bono case could not be further from the truth.

The truth is young lawyers do take pro bono cases. And, they take a lot of them! The truth is that unbillable pro bono work gives young lawyers great legal experience, something that can only benefit their paying clients. Pro bono work gives young lawyers the opportunity to work on a case in its entirety, rather than focusing on one tiny part of a much larger case. Most importantly, young lawyers do pro bono because it gives them the opportunity to do what they went to law school to do: to make a difference.

So what can you do? Read the great stories below about young lawyers who incorporate pro bono into their every day practice. And then log on to Partnering for Pro Bono and find another attorney who you can work with on a pro bono case. It’s easy and rewarding!

Brooks Landgraf is not afraid to take action on behalf of his pro bono clients. Brooks volunteers with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas in their Odessa office. When his client was facing violence at the hands of a family member, Brooks secured a “Notice to Vacate,” forcing the violent family member to move out of his client’s house. In another case, Brooks assisted a client in obtaining assets from his deceased mother’s estate, assets the bank was unlawfully withholding.

Brooks’ pro bono work gives him valuable experience and helps people in need – all within his own community.

Nancy Hui has volunteered in Houston with Lone Star Legal Aid’s Consumer and Home Protection Unit drafting pleadings, motions and discovery in more than a dozen cases. Nancy found her work on a case involving eleven defendants especially rewarding. The case lasted for over six years and ultimately settled with terms favorable to her clients. Nancy’s fluency in Chinese has helped Lone Star Legal Aid tremendously. She has translated countless legal documents into Chinese for Lone Star clients.

Carlos Quinonez volunteers regularly at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in El Paso. Every month, he attends TRLA’s legal clinic. At these clinics, Carlos provides advice and counsel to low-income clients on a variety of legal issues. Working in a wide assortment of substantive legal areas gives Carlos exposure to many areas of law. Currently, Carlos is also representing a pro bono client on a case through TRLA.

Starlett “Star” Carter has always had a passion for giving back and utilizing her law degree to assist low-income people in her community. Star regularly volunteers at several Dallas Volunteer Assistance Project legal clinics and has represented poor clients on a variety of matters including divorce, adoption, guardianship, wills, contract disputes and asylum.

As a corporate transactional attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Star enjoys representing large institutional clients in mergers and acquisitions. However, her pro bono cases expose her to different areas of the law and give her the opportunity to get valuable courtroom experience.

“There is no better feeling than when your pro bono client is on the verge of tears and is hugging you and thanking you for the positive outcome you achieved for him or her,” said Star.

For more information on how to get involved, go to Partnering for Pro Bono or contact Texas Lawyers Care at (800) 204-2222 ext. 1855.