Document Type
Article
Publication Title
American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law
Volume
9
Publication Date
2001
Keywords
public service, lawyer's role in society, social status, pro bono service, professional service
Abstract
Historically, the first way of viewing the lawyer's role was as a member of America's governing class. Second came cause lawyering on behalf of a particular issue. Third, and most recently, arose the idea of pro bono lawyering, a less ambitious incarnation of the governing class lawyer who contributes time to helping cause lawyers. These categories are not rigid: for each individual they may overlap to one degree or another. This framework is preliminary and requires further research and development. Nonetheless, it provides a useful tool for explaining how lawyers-and in particular the heroic lawyers described in this symposium-connect to public service and for identifying a basic strategic question the bar must answer in determining how best to encourage lawyers to engage in public service in the future.
Recommended Citation
Russell G. Pearce,
Lawyer and Public Service, The Historical Perspectives on Pro Bono Lawyering, 9 Am. U. J. Gender Soc. Pol'y & L. 171
(2001)
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scholarship/369
Included in
Law and Society Commons, Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons, Legal History Commons, Legal Profession Commons
