Schmedemann on Pro Bono Volunteerism Ethos in Law and Elsewhere

Posted by Alan Childress

Deborah Schmedemann (Wm. Mitchell--Law) has posted to SSRN her article, "Priming for Pro Bono Publico: Inculcating a Norm of Public Service in New Lawyers."  Here is her abstract:

The paper explores pro bono by new lawyers as a form of professional volunteerism, relying on data gathered from 1,000 law students and lawyers. The paper first presents social science insights into volunteerism outside the law, including the psychology of helping, sociologists' insights into the social context of volunteering, and economists' analysis of conscience goods. The paper then presents data from two major surveys: recent law school graduates and students in Professional Responsibility courses. The study includes (1) individual attitudes, including approaches to moral reasoning, attributions related to poverty, and community orientation; (2) the impact of law school, including skill building and comparisons to family and religious influences; and (3) the role of the profession, including the impact of professional responsibility rules and invitations to participate.