Providing Pro Bono Services and Making a Living
By Jon K. Parsley

Providing pro bono legal services to those less fortunate is our professional duty. All of us deep down want to help other people, but we are sometimes constrained by the necessity of making a living. I am a sole practitioner. If I can find the time to provide pro bono services, anyone can. We hear a great deal about the concept of work/life balance. Another major concern in the majority of law practices is pro bono/paid work balance. Attorneys in larger firms are fighting to make billable hours and usually have more structured pro bono time. There are numerous ways that even solo and small firm lawyers can afford to provide pro bono services without going broke in the process.

With the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, most pro bono cases are not in the area of criminal law. The biggest need seen in rural Oklahoma is in the family law and juvenile law areas. It is very common in the Panhandle for attorneys to be appointed by the court to represent children or parents in juvenile cases. It is very common to be appointed to act as guardian ad litem in family law matters. Attorneys take these appointments willingly with the knowledge they will only be paid a small amount per hour from the court fund. I know several attorneys who do not even file court fund claims on these cases, but handle them without cost to the client or the system.

Pro bono services don’t have to be provided to strangers. I have a local restaurant where I eat the majority of my meals. The staff at the restaurant is largely college students and other persons of limited resources. My pro bono service began with answering a few legal questions, and then moved on to providing representation to several of the employees for various legal problems. Instead of being annoyed by these people asking legal questions, I embraced it. I now provide legal services to many of the employees on a regular basis with the realization that these people can’t afford to pay. The point is, we can provide pro bono services to people we know and like. Sometimes it is even more fulfilling to help people of limited resources who are not total strangers.

We should all support Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma. There are many ways to help that program. Legal Aid has a contract program for attorneys to handle matters for a reduced hourly amount. There is a process for donating money to Legal Aid in the amount of hourly rates. Legal Aid Services is always under funded. Helping the Legal Aid process directly or indirectly is of utmost importance for ensuring that justice is not only available for the rich and powerful.

Pro bono legal services is a much broader concept than providing direct representation to litigants. Working for the Oklahoma Bar Association is a form of pro bono service that can have a profound effect on access to justice and the underprivileged in Oklahoma. I would encourage everyone to volunteer for committees or sections. Getting active in the bar association is a great way to meet other people and help the practice of law. Getting involved in other community volunteer organizations is also of utmost importance.

Pro bono services can lead to great dividends. You never know when that person that you are representing for free in that custody battle will have a family member involved in a car wreck or an insurance dispute. Those people will remember your kindness and bring the case to you. Pro bono clients I have helped in the past are very good about telling people what a great attorney you are. I am a firm believer in the concept of “what goes around comes around.” Providing pro bono legal services may seem like an overwhelming commitment of money and time, but it can lead to huge dividends.

I know billable hours and making enough for overhead are overriding concerns; however, carving out time and money for those who cannot afford it is the right thing to do. Just as work/life balance is a struggle, one must be careful to have the right mix of pro bono and paying clients. With a careful mix of providing legal services to those who cannot afford them, we can all do our share to ensure justice for all.

Mr. Parsley practices in Guymon and is 2008 OBA president-elect.