Going public with pro bono donations roils NY Bar
Chuck Otey's Pro Bono Barrister
By May 2015, every practicing attorney in the state may be required to report in detail the amount of hours they have dedicated to pro bono service; list the amount of money each has donated to pro bono legal service organizations; and do all of this with the understanding that all such information will ultimately be made public and will be accessible on the Internet.
Why? “Because it is our responsibility to give it [the information] out,” said Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman.”If someone asks for the information, they can have it.”
Following widespread uproar by bar leaders to the initial announcement by Judge Lippman, this endeavor may have been delayed to 2015, but “public disclosure” will be made mandatory by April of that year.
Demonstrating appropriate restraint, Brooklyn Bar Association president Andrew Fallek – not speaking for the BBA — took sharp issue with the stunning declaration by the chief judge.