The ABA House of Delegates has formally acknowledged “the basic responsibility of each
lawyer engaged in the practice of law to provide public interest legal services” without fee, or at
a substantially reduced fee, in one or more of the following areas: poverty law, civil rights law,
public rights law, charitable organization representation and the administration of justice. This
rule expresses that policy, but is not intended to be enforced through disciplinary process.
The rights and responsibilities of individuals and organizations in the United States are
increasingly defined in legal terms. As a consequence, legal assistance in coping with the web of
statutes, rules and regulations is imperative for persons of modest and limited means, as well as
for the relatively well-to-do.
The basic responsibility for providing legal services for those unable to pay ultimately rests upon
the individual lawyer, and personal involvement in the problems of the disadvantaged can be one
of the most rewarding experiences in the life of a lawyer. Every lawyer, regardless of
professional prominence or professional workload, should find time to participate in or otherwise
support the provision of legal services to the disadvantaged. The provision of free legal services
to those unable to pay reasonable fees continues to be an obligation of each lawyer as well as the
profession generally, but the efforts of individual lawyers are often not enough to meet the need.
Thus, it has been necessary for the profession and government to institute additional programs to
provide legal services. Accordingly, legal aid offices, lawyer referral services and other related
programs have been developed, and others will be developed by the profession and government.
Every lawyer should support all proper efforts to meet this need for legal services.
