BigLaw + Law School = Collaborative, Nonprofit Law Firm

The Georgetown University Law Center, pictured, has partnered with Arent Fox and DLA Piper to form a nonprofit law firm accessible to lower income clients in an effort to make the law more accessible to those in need of legal assistance. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini

 

I am intrigued by the collaboration of my law school alma mater, Georgetown University Law Center, and two for-profit law firms that, together, have launched a “low bono” nonprofit law firm intended for clients whose incomes are between 200 and 400 percent above the poverty line. Part of an industry-wide awareness that the law needs to become more accessible to many people who cannot afford legal fees at standard rates, but who typically don’t qualify for free representation through legal aid organizations, the initiative pairs Georgetown with two BigLaw firms, Arent Fox and DLA Piper. It will be staffed by LL.M fellows at Georgetown with BigLaw lawyers training and supervising on a pro bono basis. Even more interesting is that leadership of the newly formed organization, the D.C. Affordable Law Firm, is looking to include nonlawyers as well in some way. It’s an exciting path given the realization that not only does the law need to be more accessible, but law does not operate in a silo; it overlaps with business, social needs, and so on—so why not make different types of professionals more accessible, too?

This sort of law school/law firm collaboration could become a trend. After the Georgetown/Arent Fox/DLA Piper initiative was announced, a number of New York law firms, the City University of New York School of Law, and the New York City Bar Association disclosed another “low bono” collaboration called Court Square that will also feature legal fellows working for clients of modest income under the mentorship of lawyers. These fellows will also be learning how to run a small law practice.

Exciting times in the legal industry, indeed.

—Lori Tripoli

Interested in how the legal industry is evolving? You might like these posts:

• The Takeaway from the Dewey Mistrial
•  Mistakes that Small Law Firms Make
•  How to Thrive in the Diminishing World of the Legal Business
•  How to Survive a Depression, a Recession, and a Free-Fall Plummet
•  Lawyers, Make the Most of Market Unrest

 

A Few Good Things about that “Churn, Baby, Churn” Firm

If I were queen at megafirm DLA Piper, I’m not sure I would boast about a film about fraudulent conduct made in-house on my home page, especially if it were titled At What Cost? But I don’t work at DLA Piper, let alone run the place, so I can’t really account for the firm’s tin ear here. Pundits are already wondering why the firm would ever pursue $700 grand in unpaid legal bills from a bankrupt client when there were damning emails in its own ether stating—explicitly—that the firm was in “standard ‘churn that bill,’ baby!” mode.  

Observers can’t help but be curious about why the firm would move forward in that pursuit even after the firm had been disqualified from representing the corporate client in its bankruptcy action thanks to a conflict of interest. That the firm would think that now’s a super-great time to mention that it won an award for making a training video about corruption involving management called At What Cost? is just beyond the beyond.

But let’s not pile on DLA Piper’s very bad week. A few good things about what is no doubt a basically very capable firm have emerged from the mess:

• Maybe no one really noticed that bit about the firm churning bills since it’s spring break/Easter week/Passover.
• The oft-boasted-about “firm collegiality” actually seems to exist at DLA Piper as evidenced by the string of emails from various lawyers supporting the churning guy (Hence, “Yeah Team Tim!”) and email rounds planning an outing after the firm ‘withdrew’ because of its conflict of interest (“Well,the Judge just fired us . . . . Drinks anyone?”).
• The training video looks like it might be pretty good. The teaser is on Youtube. Take a look! You might even leave a comment. Maybe DLA Piper will just dismiss it as another “inexcusable effort at humor.”

Even if DLA Piper recovers its fees, ya just gotta wonder, at what cost?

—Lori Tripoli