BarTalk December 2001
Volume 13, Number 6

Why Pro Bono?

by Carman Overholt

The term pro bono means “for the public good.” In return for the privilege of self-regulation, the legal profession has the obligation and responsibility for ensuring that members of our community have access to justice. By providing pro bono legal services to those individuals and organizations who cannot afford legal services, we satisfy that obligation to our community and ensure that we continue to have the privilege of self-regulation.

Lawyers are extremely generous in assisting those who cannot afford legal services and in serving our community generally. There is no question of the need in our society for the assistance of lawyers in providing legal advice, representation and education to improve the public’s understanding of how our legal system works. Pro bono legal services often involve summary advice but also include more substantial time commitments. Our members deserve recognition for this significant contribution to our community in fulfillment of our obligation to ensure access to justice.

The CBA supports a pro bono program to supplement a properly funded legal aid program in BC. Pro bono is one element of our access to justice commitment. The government has the responsibility to properly fund legal aid. A properly funded legal aid plan is an essential element of a free and democratic society. The CBABC will continue to lobby the government of BC for a properly funded legal aid plan.

The joint CBABC/Law Society of BC Pro Bono Committee organized the recent Pro Bono Forum held October 20-21 in Vancouver (See page 16 for related article). The Forum was an outstanding success in connecting the profession with community organizations from across the province who gathered to discuss how the legal profession could assist in the delivery of pro bono legal services.

The prototype for the pro bono Web site to be established by the joint CBABC/Law Society of BC Pro Bono Committee was unveiled at the Forum. The Web site will connect lawyers interested in pro bono opportunities with the community organizations involved.

We are grateful to Former Premier Michael Harcourt who was the keynote speaker at the Forum. Mr. Harcourt provided the background and context that resulted in a meaningful discussion between the legal profession and our community.

We are also grateful to Dean Ron Daniels of the University of Toronto, Professor Esther Lardent, the President of the Pro Bono Institute of Georgetown University, Charlotte Ensminger of the Law Society of BC, and all of the other participants for making this event a memorable milestone in our continuing pursuit of complete access to justice in BC.

The joint committee intends to establish an office that will be responsible for managing the pro bono Web site in addition to coordinating and facilitating pro bono legal services in BC. Our success to date in connection with this initiative is due to the support of our volunteers, the judiciary, the Continuing Legal Education Society and the Law Foundation of BC.

I encourage all of you to continue with the pro bono legal services that you already provide to our community. In doing so, you honour our profession and ensure that the public continues to have confidence in our commitment as a profession. For those of you who have not been involved to date, please consider assisting through one of the many organizations committed to building stronger communities in BC.

This article was published in the December 2001 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.