I can tell when I'm getting back to feeling like myself when I can get all full of righteous indignation over stuff that no one else cares about. And since I am no longer posting on any message boards you, dear reader, will be the victim of my stray rantings.
So, here it is.
This month the Fulton County Daily Report is giving out its 2008 Pro Bono Awards.
Pro bono, according to wikipedia, means "for the public good." It is used to describe to professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment.
Pro bono sounds like great stuff - who could possible rail against pro bono work? Well, me for one. And there is a very good reason.
I work for the State of Georgia. So, by definition, I am working for the public good voluntarily. "But you get paid for your work" is what you are surely saying to me. Well, dear reader, so do 80% of the nominees for the Pro Bono Awards. They work at big firms. Many of the big firms in town have created teams of Pro Bono attorneys who are awarded billable hour credit for the "pro bono" work they perform. When the nominees for these awards work for places like King and Spalding, Troutman Sanders, Alston & Bird, Seyfarth Shaw, Powell Goldstein, etc. it is hard for me to take the label "pro bono" seriously. First year attorneys at these firms make $70,000 more per year than I make and I have been practicing for 10 years.
Now I am not saying they aren't doing good work for the public good. I am just saying that when they step out of their $40,000 BMW at the homeles shelter it doesn't look like they are exactly sacrificing anything for their commitment.
Next year I'm going to nominate myself.
Rant over.
9 comments:
you are a poor govt worker, thus your free time doesnt count as much as the big firm guys. :)
the point is that they aren't using free time. the big firm pays them to do this. this is THEIR JOB.
look, these people are clearly very important and deserve awards for just showing up.
TYLER HANSBORO!!!!!!!!
he should get paid too. player of the year, you know. :)
and so glad to see you are in a better mood today. i like firey restraunthound :)
I have a few points.
First, your statement that "many of the big firms in town have created teams of Pro Bono attorneys who are awarded billable hour credit for the "pro bono" work they perform" is complete bullshit. While it is true that associates and partners at these firms get credit for some pro bono work (usually ~ 50 hours), theare are no teams of pro bono attorneys. Most, like me, do a lot of their pro bono work in the early morning/late evenings/weekends. You don't know what you are talking about, so you should not speak.
Second, you sound bitter about your earnings. Not my problem--maybe you should have applied yourself more in school and you would have a better paying job.
Well, dear reader, you don't know a thing about my experience with pro bono activities at big firms. I have litigated against pro bono attorneys who were funded and housed at big firms. I am glad to hear that you are taking your free time to give back - perhaps you should be up for an award.
I am not bitter about my earnings. I am just offended at the possibility that someone would get a pro bono award for doing their job.
Though I have to wonder who you're billing for reading my blog... ;)
so anonymous admits he gets paid for his pro bono work, but tells the author that she "doesn't know what she is talking about." Interesting. Anonymous also sounds bitter that he has to spend his paid pro bono time on early morning/evenings/weekends.
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