Rooted in Service - Fostering a Pro Bono Culture in New Jersey
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice Staff Attorney, Emerald Sheay, recently wrote an article that was published in the New Jersey State Bar Association’s October 2025 issue of New Jersey Lawyer.
This article is generously made available by the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Emerald Sheay, VLJ Staff Attorney
Lawyers know there’s a strong need for civil legal aid—but what might be less obvious is just how dramatically that need outpaces the resources available. The most recent estimates from the American Bar Association tell us that on average, the United States has just 2.8 civil legal aid lawyers for every 10,000 people in poverty.[1] Meanwhile, 92% of low-income Americans surveyed reported not getting enough legal help for matters that “have had a significant impact on them.”[2] The private bar can – and must – play a significant role in narrowing this existing justice gap. At Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (“VLJ”), our staff and volunteers focus on bridging the gap by providing civil legal services to those experiencing poverty.
Beyond Madden: The Broader Impact of Pro Bono Service
As New Jersey-barred lawyers are well aware from the often-dreaded Madden assignment, members of the New Jersey Bar are required to provide pro bono counsel to indigent defendants. Madden, a New Jersey Supreme Court Case from 1992, affirmed the principle that “the duty to defend the poor is a professional obligation rationally incidental to the right accorded a small segment of the citizenry to practice law.”[3] As a result of the decision, lawyers are placed onto an electronic list wherein they may be assigned a matter for pro bono representation in their county of residence. The Court based this decision, in part, on the bench’s view of New Jersey as “a state in which the ethical, enforceable obligation of attorneys to accept such assignments has an unbroken history from colonial times.”[4]
The public interest in encouraging pro bono work expands vastly beyond fulfilling a court-mandated duty. At the outset, legal services provide a very real economic impact on the communities served. Over 50 studies have shown that for every $1 invested in civil legal aid, a $7 return is provided.[5] Simply put, investment into civil legal aid results in a positive return on investment. This includes direct benefits, such as financial recoveries for clients, avoided costs, and taxpayer savings. Indirect benefits, including boosts to local economies and stabilizing communities, provide additional social impacts beyond the recipient of the legal services. Ultimately, pro bono service is not just a professional obligation—it is a tool for economic and social justice across our communities.
Good Deeds, Greater Returns: Why Pro Bono Pays Off
The benefits of pro bono work extend to attorneys, as well. Volunteers regularly report feeling a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and alignment with their values when they engage in meaningful pro bono work. An additional, more tangible benefit, is that those who provide 25 hours of pro bono service annually (through a qualified legal program) are exempt from a Madden assignment the following year.[6] Engaging in pro bono work through a qualified program allows lawyers to choose how to satisfy their professional obligation, rather than simply awaiting a court-ordered Madden pro bono assignment.
According to the Thompson Reuters Foundation, law firms recognize many other benefits of pro bono work: 73% of surveyed law firms report using pro bono matters as a way to train and develop newer attorneys.[7] Pro bono matters are an excellent opportunity for attorneys to get hands-on experience with client counseling, drafting court filings, and making court appearances, earlier in their careers. Perhaps in recognition of this advantage, 43% of firms also reported using pro bono work as a way to retain employees. Other reported reasons why (should this be in quotes?) firms engage in pro bono include the alignment of the pro bono work with client’s interests, marketing, and a desire to support their communities.
Promoting a culture of pro bono work benefits the public while helping firms develop talent, retain staff, and align with client values. Luckily, there are simple (and data-proven) ways that firms can boost their pro bono work. As just one example, firms with a designated pro bono coordinator average almost three times more pro bono hours than firms without such an individual.[8] Likewise, firms that have a written pro bono policy establishing the firm’s intention and structure for pro bono work, on average, report higher pro bono hours annually.[9] Other strategies, such as providing billable hour credit for pro bono work, internal awards and recognition, and partnering with organizations that refer pro bono matters, can bolster a firm’s pro bono impact. By adopting these techniques, law firms can create a lasting, high-impact pro bono culture that serves both the greater good and their long-term success.
Adapting to Meet the Moment: VLJ’s Evolving Legal Response
While consumer debt, health care, family law, and housing issues remain the most common types of sought-after legal help, responding to civil legal needs requires adaptability. VLJ experienced this itself when, less than three months after its founding, the September 11 terror attacks occurred. VLJ rapidly responded to form the 9/11 Task Force and World Trade Center Program, in partnership with the Essex County Bar Association. Again, in 2012, VLJ responded to the impact of Superstorm Sandy by launching a Disaster Legal Response Program and worked with the legal community to develop a coordinated legal response to disasters.
In recent years, a coordinated legal response has been key in addressing the housing crisis in the wake of COVID-19. VLJ has convened a regular meeting of tenant’s rights organizations since March 2020 to protect the rights of tenants and pro bono attorneys have joined in to prevent homelessness for families across the state. Pro bono attorneys have been key allies in responding to the most urgent legal needs in our state and will no doubt be essential as funding for services for people experiencing poverty face deeper cuts.
Our Vision: Sustaining and Growing Pro Bono Culture
Access to high-quality pro bono civil legal services can be life-changing for the clients who receive them. Few examples better epitomize the impact civil legal services can have then that of former VLJ client, Lamar. Lamar sought and received VLJ’s help three times, on a variety of matters stemming from homelessness, eviction, identity theft, and consumer debt. Receiving these services provided him with two major benefits. The first was stability, when he was able to secure permanent housing. The second was his positive exposure to the legal profession. “Law school was always on my radar, but I didn’t have any motivation,” Lamar shared. “I didn’t know anything about the law. I didn’t know any lawyers. By having the interactions with VLJ’s volunteer lawyers, that showed me what lawyers do: help people.” Lamar went on to attend law school and is now a volunteer attorney for the same organization that helped him many years ago. He notes that his experience with VLJ "has come full circle”.
VLJ’s ability to help clients like Lamar stems from a strong pro bono ecosystem of volunteers. In 2024 alone, 665 volunteers donated time through VLJ’s programs, making 2024 a record-setting year for our organization. Over 4,400 people were impacted by donated legal services. It is because of this reach that VLJ remains committed to providing and coordinating pro bono legal services in partnership with the private bar. VLJ currently runs eight legal programs, six of which include clinics staffed by volunteer attorneys from law firms and corporations throughout the state. Beyond the clinic setting, volunteers provide direct representation to clients across these programs, with the support of VLJ staff and resources while handling the matter. Regular trainings and CLE programs taught by VLJ staff take place throughout the year, on topics ranging from eviction defense to ethical pro bono lawyering. Looking ahead, VLJ is proud to continue growing a powerful pro bono network that advances access to justice across New Jersey.
Conclusion
As lawyers, we have the ability to effectuate significant change in our communities. Now more than ever, it is important that the profession does not lose sight of this power in the midst of billable hours, client phone calls, court appearances, and (many) cups of coffee. VLJ welcomes new, and existing volunteers, to recommit to pro bono service. Whether your act of service is volunteering in a legal clinic, accepting representation of a client in an expungement matter, or providing consultations on bankruptcy eligibility, the impact of donated legal expertise cannot be overstated. Together with our dedicated volunteers, VLJ continues to build a more just and equitable New Jersey—one client, one case, and one act of service at a time.
[1] American Bar Association, Profile of the Legal Profession 2023 (2023).
[2] Legal Services Corporation, Justice Gap Full Report 2022 (2022).
[3] Madden v. Delran Tp., 126 N.J. 591 (1992) (citing State v. Rush, 46 N.J. 399 (1966)).
[4] Id. at 603.
[5] Legal Services Corporation, The Economic Case for Civil Legal Aid, (2025).
[6] N.J. Ct. R. 1:21-12.
[7] Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2024 TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono, 2025.
[8] Id.
[9] Id. Firms with pro bono policies report an average of 30.3 hours of pro bono work per fee earner, compared to 19.6 hours per fee earner for firms with no pro bono policy in place.