Bill Holston, a law-practicing Friend of Unfair Park, has this to say regarding The American Lawyer's pro bono survey indicating Dallas lawyers need to play some serious catch-up:
"The Dallas Bar donates millions of dollars of free legal services to the poor each year. I and many others are members of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas and donate over 75 hours a year. We man legal clinics all over the city. I heartily agree that we do not do enough and that Dallas runs behind other cities. I'm not certain why that is. I think it has more to do with the city culture than the legal culture. Washington, D.C., and New York have longstanding cultures of service to the poor. Dallas generally is indifferent to the poor. The pro bono activities committee is working on changing that. It is hard to motivate attorneys to work for free, especially those with already full schedules. Despite the challenges, we do a lot, but again, not enough. I'd like to ask, though, what other profession makes an organized effort to provide free services to the poor?"
Good point. --Robert Wilonsky
