On a more practical level, the legal experience acquired while working pro bono cases offers new lawyers opportunities to try cases they might otherwise wait years to obtain.
“You get great experience,” said Myers. “As a first-year attorney, yes, you will get opportunities but you will also get a lot of paperwork. So, I just went and told my boss that I wanted this immigration pro bono case. In addition to getting a client protection in this country, I was able to learn a lot about being an attorney a lot more quickly than I would have if I hadn’t done this pro bono work.”
Amos Hartston, pro bono counsel at Latham & Watkins, agreed.