Just in time to do some good for the holiday season, a rule change taking effect this week will add a potential 5,000 to 10,000 lawyers to the pro bono pool in the state of New York—and they’ll all be in-house counsel. According to Jennifer Smith in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman made the announcement Monday that attorneys who work in corporate law departments, but are not admitted to practice in the state, will be allowed to participate in pro bono work as long as they’re admitted to the bar elsewhere and in good standing.
“These are some of the best, most talented lawyers in our state, and in our country,” he said according to Smith, who reports that more than 2.3 million New Yorkers are left to navigate the justice system by themselves each year. Last year, 14,000 people were helped by pro bono and court-based volunteer programs—a number that Judge Lippman is hoping to increase with the new rule change. “We think there is the potential for hundreds of thousands of hours of pro bono work,” he said.
