Pro bono lawyers are those who offer their services for free or at a reduced cost to those who cannot afford to pay full price.
Many people may wonder how these attorneys can make any money if they aren’t charging their clients.
The answer is that pro bono lawyers typically receive payments in other ways.
In this article, we will discuss how pro bono lawyers make money and the different ways they can be compensated for their work.
How Do Pro Bono Lawyers Make Money?
Pro Bono lawyers are those who offer their services for free or at a reduced cost to those who cannot afford to pay full price. By definition, Pro Bono work is characterized as being neither required nor expected to be compensated. So how do Pro Bono lawyers make money?
Here’s how:
#1. They are not full-time pro bono lawyers
First on our list of ways pro bono lawyers make money is that the lawyers who take on pro bono cases don’t work as full-time pro bono attorneys. Lawyers taking on pro bono cases also take on clients who pay for legal services.
The lawyers in this category may work for law firms that charge their paying clients a certain amount to compensate for the pro bono work they require their attorneys to take on.
Also, lawyers may take on pro bono cases independently, in their free time, at no loss of income, because they are making money from their full-time jobs or from their other paying clients.
#2. Publicity through high-profile pro bono cases
Now not every lawyer has the ability to pick up a high-profile case, but if they do, they would fall into this category. Lawyers in this section are compensated through future benefits that can arise from representing a party in a high-profile case.
No matter how high-profile the case, if the lawyer is working pro bono they aren’t making any actual money. That being said, the publicity garnered from a high-profile case may increase the likelihood that future paying clients will choose that lawyer for their needs.
#3. Building a network through pro bono work
Lawyers in this category find their compensation through networking. Whether it is taking on different types of cases or building relationships within an organization, these lawyers make themselves available to potential clients.
Expanding out the types of cases one takes on can lead to invaluable and meaningful connections that can benefit lawyers professionally. Pro bono networking compensation is a long game.
Not only does this expand a lawyer’s repertoire of legal knowledge which can help them take on more paying clients it can also pay off tremendously when the expanded network refers them to paying clients that they wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.
#4. Using pro bono cases to fill knowledge gaps
Lawyers can make money by picking up pro bono cases to fill knowledge gaps. Many pro bono programs have incredibly skilled and knowledgeable lawyers running them. A lead lawyer may use a pro bono case to mentor and instructs new lawyers.
Picking up pro bono work in one’s normal field or another provides compensation through enhancing their advocacy skills and overall development and growth as an attorney to better serve future clients.
Additionally, picking up pro bono work outside their normal practice areas opens lawyers up to incorporate these types of cases as part of their new normal to serve more paying clients.
#5. Contingency Fee Agreements
Last on our list of ways pro bono lawyers make money is through contingency fee arrangements. While this is a subsection of pro bono work, it still makes our list. And here is why.
Lawyers in this section serve their clients for free. The catch is they have put a contingency fee agreement in place. This agreement states they will receive a predetermined percentage of a verdict award or settlement amount if they achieve a favorable outcome for their client. If a favorable outcome isn’t reached, then these lawyers don’t get paid anything for their services.
Conclusion
So how do Pro Bono Lawyers make money if they do not charge for their Pro Bono services?
In this article, we reviewed 5 ways in which pro bono lawyers make money.
First of all, lawyers who accept pro bono cases also take on paying clients. The lawyers in this category may work for law firms that charge their paying clients a certain amount to compensate for the pro bono work they require their attorneys to take on.
Secondly, lawyers can gain publicity through pro bono cases which gets them known and can land them larger (paying) clients. Lawyers also use pro bono work to network with other lawyers which can lead to new opportunities.
Lawyers also use pro bono cases to fill knowledge gaps. While this is not a way to earn money, it is a way to gain knowledge and skills which can earn money down the road.
And finally, pro bono lawyers can make money from contingency fee arrangements where they earn a portion of compensation that their client can earn if they win their case.
