D.C. Bar Reports That, Despite Economy, Good Being Done

The Washington Business Journal:  Major DC firms are still doing work pro bono despite downsizing and the current economic lag.  The report was just released by the District of Columbia Bar Association.

Good for them.  In fact, according to the report, pro bono work increased by 2.5 percent in 2009 among the 29 firms that responded to the bar association’s questionnaire.  Those firms provided a total of 707,653 hours of time to those less fortunate.  Those hours rose significantly from 2008.

Equally admirable, among the 29 firms who responded to the survey, there was a total of 345 lawyers dropped in the last year.  Traditionally, many younger associates handle the laboring oar when it comes to pro bono work.  With the recent round of layoffs, deferment and plain old down sizing, there are less lawyers to handle more service-oriented work in the community.  A positive trend that points to more senior level attorneys getting back in the trenches of work for the common good.