Disadvantages Of Pro Bono Work

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Ultimately, pro bono programs respond to the legal professional needs of the many disadvantaged people in society. Legal professionals who take part in these programs aim to assist the unmet legal needs from publicly funded legal service providers . Lawyers should not only have to work these cases, but by doing it for free, they attain a greater sense of justice. Engaging in pro bono work benefits both the legal professional but the greater community. The concept of lawyers working for a great amount of money originates from the supply and demand of these legal professionals, not the cost of justice. Statutory acts protecting the disadvantaged people who can’t afford assistance have been instilled in legal literature for hundreds of years and …show more content…

Though, in the current system the disbursement of services are sparse and have structural weaknesses which are too broad for the disadvantaged people who need assistance. A revision of the schemes and rules should be examined to maximise usefulness of the funding, required hours worked and availability of professionals in specific areas of law; similar to the ‘Cab rank’ principle . Implementing a principal such as this would ensure that if available, a legal professional would have to accept pro bono work if it is in a field in which they specialise in, therefore excusing the variety of assistance needed in rural …show more content…

Pro bono cases hinge on heuristic methods which often take up a lot of time for the lawyer, and might require assistance from a more qualified solicitor. This can be a wasteful as the client could pursue alternatives to litigation such as mediation to efficiently use the resources available to them . Unlike the healthcare system “there is no universal safety net for legal help, ” which means members who are not granted legal aid, yet cannot afford a lawyer are structurally disadvantaged. The pro bono system in place at the moment only covers the poorest members of the country with 98% of aid recipients falling below the poverty line. Individuals who fall into the gap between not being eligible for assistance and not being able to afford a lawyer have to result to seeking help from legal centres. These centres fall victim to underfunding and only function on recommendations rather than enduring support which one would receive from a legal aid worker. Although pro bono work is intended to assist all members who cannot access justice, it could misguide legal professionals as it only targets a small range of people who are in dire

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