Home › Oklahoma › Rules of Professional Conduct › Rule 6.1

Court Rules Network • courtrules.net

Okla. R. Prof'l Conduct 6.1

Not legal advice. Verify against official sources before relying on this text in any legal matter.

Rule 6.1 Pro Bono Public Service

Public Service

← Previous Rule 5.7: Responsibilities Regarding Law-Related Services Next → Rule 6.2: Accepting Appointments

Rule Text

A lawyer should render public interest legal service.

A lawyer may discharge this responsibility by:

(a) providing professional services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations;

(b) serving without compensation in public interest activities that improve the law, the legal system, or the legal profession; or

Amendment history: /EM> Adopted effective July 1, 1988.

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

Every lawyer is encouraged to give back by providing free or low cost legal help to people who can't afford it. This isn't a strict requirement with penalties attached, but it's something lawyers should aim to do as part of their profession.

Lawyers can meet this goal in a few different ways. They can take on cases for free or at a reduced rate for people with limited income, or for charities and public service groups. They can also volunteer their time on projects that make the legal system work better for everyone, like helping write better laws or improving how courts operate.

If a lawyer doesn't have time to take on free cases directly, they can also contribute money to organizations that provide legal aid to people who need it. The point is that lawyers have skills that can help people who otherwise couldn't get legal help, and this rule asks them to use those skills for the public good in whatever way makes sense for their situation.

Committee Notes

[1] 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.

[2] 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.

[3] 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 provisions 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.

Code Comparison

There is no counterpart of Rule 6.1 in the Disciplinary Rules of the Code. EC 2-25 states that "The basic responsibility for providing legal services for those unable to pay ultimately rests upon the individual lawyer . . . . Every lawyer, regardless of professional prominence or professional workload, should find time to participate in serving the disadvantaged." EC 8-9 states that "The advancement of our legal system is of vital importance in maintaining the rule of law . . and lawyers should encourage, and should aid in making, needed changes and improvements." EC 8-3 states that "Those persons unable to pay for legal services should be provided needed services."

Oklahoma Modification

Oklahoma used the language for Rule 6.1 as amended by the Florida Committee of Professional Responsibility instead of the ABA Model Rules.

← Previous Rule 5.7: Responsibilities Regarding Law-Related Services Next → Rule 6.2: Accepting Appointments