Steve Schulman Speaks with Law360 on Pro Bono Lawyers Helping Clients Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak
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Akin Gump pro bono partner Steve Schulman has been featured in the Law360 Q&A article “Pro Bono Counsel Leaders On Mobilizing Against A Pandemic.” As co-president of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo), Schulman discusses the steps the organization is taking to help the legal industry respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
Schulman spoke first of what pro bono attorneys should do to help during the pandemic, suggesting that a three-prong response is required. This includes sharing best practices, “coordinating to find remote work opportunities for our lawyers to help people” and being prepared for the fallout for when the pandemic has passed.
The article then touched on the following topics:
Are you worried that there won’t be enough pro bono providers to meet new legal needs associated with COVID-19? “I do think there’s a bit of a worry about that — that’s why we’re trying to coordinate as best as possible, so that our legal aid partners can be focused on finding the opportunities and not on necessarily staffing the opportunities. … But what I’m more worried about is too many people needing legal help and not having sufficient funding from governments to provide for legal aid.”
Is there a feeling of competition between firms, to have the biggest impact with pro bono work? “Our firms are competitive on the commercial side, but one of the things I really like about being at APBCo is the sense of community and collaboration that we have. Nobody’s trying to take credit for something. Nobody’s trying to grab an opportunity before anybody else.”
What advice do you have to law firms that lack pro bono counsel, or to attorneys at those firms who want to help during this crisis? “They should hire somebody and have somebody doing it full-time, just like we have people leading other practice groups. What we have seen is that it is the very rare firm that doesn’t have somebody leading pro bono on a full-time basis and has a successful pro bono practice.”
