After a sustained time off from volunteering my services as an attorney, I was back at it on Wednesday! Attended the Monterrey Park Free Legal Clinic on Wednesday night geared towards low income citizens with legal questions and a limited proficiency in English. So basically, right up my alley: I got to use both my legal knowledge that I paid 3 years of law school tuition for and my inherent Mandarin Chinese language abilities. It is truly one of the more gratifying experiences to help someone who doesn't have the same abilities as me (basic understanding of the American legal system) or dual fluency in Mandarin and English. Really, that is what "work" was supposed to be originally: a trading of services using abilities that certain people possess and others don't, and trading for what you don't have. Then money got in the way and corrupted everything, and people like me have to chase whichever job pays the most money. It's also time: As I grow older I agree more and more with the phrase time= money, where life only has so many precious minutes and opportunities to create moments, and however you can save time at working and trying to earn money can lead to more opportunities to create those great moments.
Anyway, pro bono is so important in the legal industry because not everyone can afford to pay. The dirty secret for attorneys about how we're taught to think about clients and choosing who to sue/ represent: go for the guys with the deepest pockets, aka have a lot of money. It's a business that revolves around money. You have money, you can afford the best attorneys who can offer the best advice and an army of attorneys to mitigate your troubles (see Donald Trump). You don't have money, well, attorneys won't have much incentive to take your case, or do a good job at it. It's not like McDonald's where everyone can afford a $5 burger, or college where it's an investment in yourself so most people take the gamble of spending a lot of money to build a better future, lawsuits can be supremely costly and yet not have the benefits of things like health insurance and education. That's where pro bono comes in: the legal profession encourages lawyers to do pro bono on top of their normal business, in fact the Professional Code of California suggests every lawyer do 50 hours of pro bono every year (roughly an hour a week, which doesn't seem too bad). I unfortunately haven't met that in any of the 6 years I've been an attorney in the state of CA, and probably won't be able to, but if I feel needed and respected at legal clinics, I feel better about going. (At a lot of volunteer events and clinics, it feels like there are too many attorneys and a lot of just talking to each other,a lot of people are there just to be able to say that they volunteered, without much impact). When you do get to help someone in need, though, it makes you feel like a valued member of society, which is sometimes an even better feeling that earning money.
Free legal clinics also make me appreciate my status in life: As much as I worry about money or the future or possible legal problems, there are always people in worse positions, who don't even speak English, or don't know that they have been sued, or are taken advantage of by people with superior knowledge, so it is important not to always lament why I can't have a better life (actors, CEOs, etc.) and appreciate that I have freedoms more than most people. And I realize why pro bono is important: There are people who do get screwed over by big companies with aggressive attorneys, but they don't have money to pay legal fees, which doesn't mean their claim is any less meritorious, or they be afraid of seeking legal help because they're afraid it will cost them so much to even walk in the door and get a consultation. Free legal clinics at least can look at their case and point them in the right direction.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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