Different Memphis law firms have different approaches to pro bono work.

Tate Lazarini Brady & Guerra PLC sends attorneys to a weekly meeting of Gulf Coast hurricane evacuees at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to help with law issues such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appeals.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has an agreement with Memphis Area Legal Services to take up to 10 pro bono cases per month.

The Hardison Law Firm PC requires its attorneys to volunteer for Attorney of the Day, a weekly advice and counsel clinic organized by MALS at the Shelby County Court House. At this event, lawyers offer free aid on a variety of legal topics every Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 134.

Linda Seely, director of private attorney involvement for MALS, coordinates pro bono projects for attorneys, law students and paralegals. Attorney of the Day started when General Sessions Court Judge Phyllis B. Gardner saw many people representing themselves. The program has been attended well, Seely said.

"In fact, a lot of people were just hungry to talk to an attorney about what was going on with them," she said.

Not a penny for thoughts

Lawyers volunteer for a variety of reasons. Young attorneys who are looking for courtroom experience are likely to offer free services, and retired attorneys might be looking to stay active.

"For a lot of attorneys, doing the volunteer work is a way to get your foot in the door, meet some other attorneys, get some training and get a chance to try a case," Seely said.

Hardison instituted an internal policy that requires each of the firm's lawyers to sign up for at least two Attorney of the Day sessions every six months.

"A law license is a privilege and not a right," said David Cook, president and a shareholder of the firm. "One of the requirements of having that privilege is to undertake pro bono work."

The Hardison firm has been doing pro bono work for years, but this new program is a more organized way of helping. Previously, the firm's lawyers were listed with MALS as willing to accept pro bono cases.

"This new program, where lawyers and pro bono clients meet at the courthouse, seems to be working well," Cook said. "It's very well-attended and it seems to be quite helpful to the public."

Taking it on

Often, volunteer lawyers direct their pro bono clients to the right agency or a specialized attorney. While the Hardison firm usually focuses on doctors or hospitals sued for malpractice, its lawyers could find themselves working on a pro bono case involving domestic issues.

"It's not just a matter of going to the courthouse and dispensing advice and then going home," Cook said. "A lot of the people need representation and you just take it on and do what you have to do."

Cook said he doesn't see pro bono work as an obligation because it makes him feel better about being a lawyer.

"I would hope that the younger lawyers who are participating in the program are getting the same kind of positive feedback and feeling about the practice of law and life in general that it's always given me," Cook said.

Like the Hardison firm, Baker Donelson has formalized its approach to pro bono work. The firm organized a pro bono committee, which is chaired by Jonathan Cole, a shareholder at the firm's Nashville office.

"We wanted to make it more of a focal point and state it as one of the key values we have so that it's clear that it is a priority," he said.

The firm also created the pro bono committee to make it easier for Baker Donelson attorneys to fulfill their public service obligations.

"There are some administrative hassles that sometimes come along with any type of case, pro bono or otherwise," Cole said. "We try to facilitate it so that the attorneys can spend more time on doing the actual service for the poor rather than clearing conflicts and setting up files."

Non-billable hours

When setting up the committee, Baker Donelson looked around the country and talked to consultants about the pro bono work of comparably sized law firms. The firm now requires its attorneys to perform 100 hours of public service work a year including 50 hours of pro bono work.

Baker Donelson also accepts 10 pro bono cases a month from MALS, which sends the cases to the firm. The firm then assigns the cases to its attorneys depending on workload or scheduling.

Cole said the program has been well-received by the attorneys at Baker Donelson.

"Most people go into law to make a difference, but then the business demands and the needs of clients are so strong that you have to make (pro bono work) a priority," Cole said. "You have a great need out there in every city in the country, including Memphis and Nashville. There are people who need some assistance to work their way through the legal system and who need to have their rights protected."