Prof. Abel writes:

The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, the Department of Sociology, and the School of Law at SUNY Buffalo held a conference on “Private Lawyers and the Public Interest: The Evolving Role of Pro Bono in the Legal Profession” on April 24-26. The papers offered valuable empirical research on a wide range of topics: the incentives for pro bono in both large and small firms, the role of law schools in encouraging (and mandating) pro bono, the potential of mobilizing the huge cohort of baby-boom lawyers about to retire, the pro bono activities of public interest lawyers, and the efficacy of public interest lawyering against radical poverty. The papers were informed by several shared understandings: pro bono services exceed in quantity all legal services provided by government and foundations; pro bono has unique advantages and disadvantages vis-à-vis other delivery systems; we need to find ways to expand both the quantity and quality of pro bono activity. The papers (including plenary addresses by Deborah Rhode, past president of the Association of American Law Schools, and Karen Mathis, past president of the American Bar Association) will be published in a book edited by Robert Granfield, chair of the Sociology Department and organizer of the conference, and Lynn Mather, Baldy Center Director.