Sometimes all it takes is 20 minutes, “the reading of a document, a phone call and a stroke of a keyboard to change someone’s life,” according to Charles (“Chaz”) F. Billington III, a partner with the Vorys Cleveland office and a strong advocate of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP).
“To some people who need our help, it may appear magical or like a superpower for an attorney to say, ‘Here’s what we are going to do and I’m going to make this all go away.’ But because that is a such a powerful thing, it is incumbent of us as lawyers to give back,” says Billington, adding that Legal Aid’s pro bono attorneys help “level the playing field for everyone to have access to the justice system.”
In 2023, slightly more than 500 attorneys from across Greater Cleveland were VLP participants, helping clients with civil-legal concerns, according to VLP and Intake Managing Attorney Lauren Gilbride. The program formally began in 2006.
“We turn away about half of the people who come to us, not because there isn’t good legal merit to their cases, but because we just don’t have enough resources and volunteer attorneys. But we are still meeting a critical need for many people who are underserved, under-represented and without any legal information or advice,” says Gilbride, adding that the time commitment for pro bono lawyers can be very flexible.
VLP is not just crucial for the well-being of the client, but for law firms and individual attorneys. Billington believes “law, like every profession, has changed, and we are becoming more community minded and more philanthropic.”
Vorys has met those challenges, Billington believes, by giving attorneys more opportunities to show those directives through pro bono work and VLP. That action also can be a good recruiting asset for firms looking for more members.
VLP provides several ways for attorneys to make a difference. Volunteers can participate in Brief Advice Clinics that provide general advice to those attending the neighborhood clinics. There are options to volunteer over the phone, virtually via Zoom or in person. Accepting a case for legal representation is also possible, as is becoming an in-house volunteer working with staff attorneys.
“For lawyers who are less seasoned, this is an opportunity to get into court, gain leadership experience, gain client experience, learn communication skills and learn about teamwork. You can get all that in a pro bono case where maybe you wouldn’t be able to in a million-dollar case,” says Billington, who is particularly proud of the Vorys onsite partnership with UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Ahuja Center for Women and Children. The work includes helping clients with housing, custody issues and more.
That “on-the-job” training also helps create attorneys with stronger skills, benefiting the entire firm.
Gilbride adds that working directly with the leadership of legal firms and corporations in recruiting volunteer attorneys and staff is imperative.
“Once we get that support from the larger organization, the easier it is for people inside those organizations to do volunteer work,” says Gilbride, adding that in many cases, pro bono volunteers can earn continuing education credits and/or attend free training sessions.
Joe Rodgers, senior vice president, Ethics and Compliance, for Eaton, says his firm’s pro bono attorneys “have the sponsorship of the highest levels of leadership of the company.”
Eaton “strongly believes in giving back to the communities in which we work,” and “putting its support in two buckets — charitable contributions and volunteering time.”
“We had a tremendous showing at the last Brief Advice Clinic and served over 30 individuals and families. We are planning another one in the fall,” says Rodgers. “Anytime you walk out of there, you feel better than when you walked in. You know that you have addressed a problem in some way that someone may have been waiting to get help for.
“In many ways, Legal Aid is giving people their lives back.”
