When I was a newbie so many years ago, the Young Lawyers Section of the bar in the first state where I was admitted encouraged pro bono work and set up a system where it was fairly easy to get involved in individual cases, typically landlord tenant law, family law, probate/property transfer issues and other similar issues where indigent folks would have little, if any, access to representation. It was all voluntary and most of the larger firms certainly encouraged participation but played no role in obtaining or assigning work. It was an excellent example of leaving the 99 to rescue the 1.

However, it seems that many of these efforts, especially those that involve mandatory hours, devolve into “cause” efforts dictated by the bar or the powers-that-be within the firm that all too often put a young associate with a conservative belief system in an untenable position.