As its Latin translation suggests, pro bono publico work is for the public good and can provide immensely rewarding professional experiences for attorneys. The benefits of pro bono work are many, including, perhaps most significantly, the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in a client’s life and positively influence the legal system. Indeed, Rule 6.1 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct calls for every lawyer to “render public interest legal service,” including by “providing professional services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means.”
An additional benefit of pro bono work is the opportunity for lawyers, especially less-experienced lawyers, to develop their advocacy skills. This is particularly true with respect to appellate matters. Over the years, appellate advocacy has emerged as a distinctive practice area, focused not on a particular substantive area of the law but instead on the special skill sets needed when advocating in an appellate tribunal. Appellate work demands specialized abilities, including cogent brief writing, sophisticated legal reasoning and outstanding oral advocacy, that less-experienced lawyers may still be in the process of developing.
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