To mark the 2024 National Celebration of Pro Bono, which runs through Saturday, Vinson & Elkins pro bono counsel Ellyn Josef agreed to discuss topics such as how to encourage lawyers to do pro bono work, the need for lawyers to provide pro bono in rural areas of Texas, and how pro bono needs might change under a new administration—particularly a Trump administration.

Josef joined Vinson & Elkins in 2008 as pro bono counsel, and may be the longest-tenured full-time pro bono counsel in Texas. She said she went to law school because of her desire to have a career in which she could help people. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, where she got her first taste of working at a legal clinic, and a short stint at a law firm, Josef worked as a staff attorney at a legal clinic at South Texas College of Law Houston, where she represented survivors of domestic violence. She's been at Vinson & Elkins for nearly 17 years managing and directing the pro bono program, which she said has evolved over time, becoming more sophisticated and strategic.