Recently, I learned of a pro bono organization that could help young or new attorneys gain hands-on experience and give back to the community. The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project is always looking for new volunteer attorneys, so if you're interested, please visit http://www.dcvlp.org/ for more information. From their website:

The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality, free legal services to low-income District of Columbia residents in family law cases. Our volunteer lawyers provide pro bono legal representation to:

survivors of domestic violence in civil protection order, custody, visitation, divorce, child support and immigration cases
children in high-conflict custody cases
foster parents in adoption, guardianship, placement and licensing matters
third-party caregivers in custody cases

Founded in January of 2008, the DCVLP addresses the urgent need for more pro bono family law lawyers by tapping into an unused resource -- experienced lawyers who have left full-time legal practice, many of them to raise families, and want to use their legal skills to help the community. The DCVLP assists these lawyers in reentering the legal profession by providing training programs, a professional support network, and mentorship and supervision throughout the duration of a case. The DCVLP also provides volunteers with malpractice insurance, an office for client meetings, online legal research tools and other resources they need to provide free, high-quality legal representation to indigent clients.

This blog is an advertisement for the Law Office of Philip R. Yabut, PLLC, and the information in this post is not to be construed as legal advice, nor does reading it form an attorney-client relationship. Please do not post confidential information in the comments section.

Let's face it -- lawyers don't exactly have spotless reputation. When people think of lawyers, words like "cheat" and "shyster" invariably come to mind. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but stereotypes tend to contain at least a scintilla of truth. The lawyers who actually are greedy, money-grubbing, billable-hour-exaggerating poor excuses for human beings have ruined it for the rest of us in the industry. And the suffix "Esq." may as well be a scarlet abbreviation on our business cards.

Of course, stereotypes are made to be broken. Believe it or not, it is possible to be both a lawyer and a sympathetic human being at the same time. The most obvious first step is to be and stay ethical. There's nothing wrong with making money, but do it with a clear conscience. The other is to give back to the community in some way. You don't have to quit your six-figure salary and corner office and become a public interest attorney -- maybe a donation here, a pro bono case there, or even community service not related to law. The important thing is to never forget that people depend on you, and you depend on them.

Links:

Legal Services of Northern Virginia probono.net/dc

Pro Bono opportunity: DC Volunteer Lawyers Project

I am not a lawyer! I am a human being!