Sparking a Movement: A Coordinated, Bottom-up Approach to Increase Voluntary Pro Bono Service and Mend the Justice Gap

Authors

David W. Lannetti, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Virginia
Jennifer L. Eaton

Abstract

For decades, the legal profession has tried and tried again to increase pro

bono representation and reduce the ill effects of the Justice Gap. A common

and increasing theme has been a top-down approach focused on laudable

platitudes, jurisdictional reporting policies, and aspirational guidelines to

inspire attorneys to voluntarily serve low-income Americans. These efforts

have enjoyed very little success, however, and with the Justice Gap only getting

worse, a new solution is needed. This Article shifts the focus away from

these top-down methods and mandates, which lack accountability and incentives,

to a bottom-up approach that offers a more viable solution to the Justice

Gap. In a bottom-up approach, attorneys are not only encouraged, but

empowered, to provide services in coordination with other stakeholders. The

COVID-19 pandemic both aggravated and highlighted the Justice Gap and,

as a result, it has the potential to act as the necessary “social change tipping

point” to spark a movement. Therefore, the time is ripe for all legal professionals

to collectively take steps toward service, however small they may

seem, to effectively and sustainably treat the Justice Gap once and for all.

Recommended Citation

David W. Lannetti & Jennifer L. Eaton, Sparking a Movement: A Coordinated, Bottom-up Approach to Increase Voluntary Pro Bono Service and Mend the Justice Gap, 25 Rich. Pub. Int. L. Rev. 1 (2022).
Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/pilr/vol25/iss2/3