Houston litigator Lara Pringle's daily life is consumed by representing energy companies in commercial disputes.

And when she wants to get away from that, she hops on a plane and travels 8,700 mile to Lusaka, Zambia, to do a bit of volunteer outside counsel work for Arise Africa, a Christian service organization that sponsors impoverished children.

“I love working for companies and the professional life,” said Pringle, a partner in Jones Walker. “But it puts it into perspective when you see the joy of people in Africa have when you do something like give them a new bike and spend time with them.”