On my fifth day, I had a conversation regarding the practice of pro-bono work as the firm takes on many cases as either pro or low bono. Many clients seeking asylum or being deported do not have adequate funds to pay for the high price of legal representation. This leads the employees to a moral crossroads as they are, in many cases, the last chance for many people and families, but they are still a business. Lawyers are responsible for bringing in paying clients in order to feed themselves and keep the business going. Ms. de Peña explained to me that while the bar encourages law firms to do pro-bono work, there is no requirement. I was astounded by this- it seems to me that a fixed number of pro-bono hours required by every bar recognized law firms could provide quite a few solutions. It doesn’t feel fair to me that lawyers are asked to make the choice between leaving people unrepresented and sustaining their businesses.
All in all, my work experience certainly hasn’t been what I expected it to be, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. I’ve learned a lot about the administrative and economic aspects of a law firm, and as a result I feel I have a better understanding of what it means to be a lawyer. I hope that these last few days continue to be as informative as the previous ones.
