Pro Bono Late Bloomer Encourages Law Firms to Create Their Own Volunteer Requirements
by Ashley Matthews
Next year, New York will start implementing the nation’s first state-mandated pro bono for new lawyers trying to pass the bar. This requirement has led many graduating law students to amp up their volunteer efforts in hopes of meeting the 50-hour requirement.
But it’s not just New York’s graduating law students who are reaching out to populations in need. From the ABA Journal:
Call Richard Horstman the poster child for pro bono programs.
For more than 34 years, Horstman has worked in Houston-based Marathon Oil’s corporate legal department, where he now oversees all international legal operations. Until five years ago, he didn’t give a second thought about doing pro bono legal work.
“I always felt I did enough law at work,” he says. “I focused my public service and community work on nonlegal matters.”
In 2007, Marathon’s then-general counsel instituted a formal pro bono program for the company’s lawyers. As part of the new effort, Catholic Charities made a presentation highlighting the legal needs of immigrant children in the United States.
Horstman agreed to tackle a single case. It changed his perception of himself and his practice. “I realized that I am one of the few who can do this because of my expertise as a lawyer,” he says.
While Horstman doesn’t favor state-mandated pro bono, he thinks law firms and in-house corporate legal departments should implement formal pro bono efforts that strongly encourage their lawyers to get involved.
“I regret that I didn’t start doing pro bono earlier,” he says.
In New York, recent law graduates are now required by law to get the head start Horstman never had. Do you think state-mandated pro bono work should be required to practice law in your jurisdiction?