Reply to Any other biglaw associates not do pro bono?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It depends on the firm. Not doing any at Arnold & Porter while hoping to last in the litigation group would be... an error.

In comparison I don't think Quinn gives a single eff. [/quote]

Really? Arnold & Porter?? I don't know the DC market as well as NYC but I've always thought the bigger/more reputable the firm was, the less time they wanted wasted on non billable work.[/quote]

In DC it is seen as reputation-enhancing, unlike in NY or London.

[/quote]

In NY its seen as profit-diluting. In London its not seen at all. [/quote]

Got it. I definitely have the NYC mindset of -- why would anyone who wants to make partner do something profit diluting?? 7 yrs in NYC biglaw will do that to you. I didn't realize DC actually saw it as a positive thing.[/quote]

I won't pretend DC is some kind of utopia, but it is very different culturally than NYC in this regard. I grew up in NYC but left as an adult because I hated the Gordon Gekko "Greed is Good" culture that seemed to permeate everything up there, even the charitable world. My experience has been that people in DC tend to be more committed to giving back as part of their everyday lives, as reflected by the number of people here who could make more in New York of elsewhere, but instead choose to earn less as public servants or by working for non-profit/public interest groups because they believe in the greater good of what they're doing. Law firm partners certainly do well here, but most of the ones I know do value pro bono work because they believe we should be using our skills to help those who most need them but can least afford them.

And even for those who are more profit-minded, there's something to be said for letting, for instance, a low-level litigation associate cut their teeth on a lower-stakes (for the firm) pro bono litigation project rather than having to spend more of your own time hand-holding them through the same tasks for one of your paying clients.[/quote]

I meant to add in there that it also matters whether your firm is a true DC firm, or is simply the DC office of a firm based elsewhere. Firm culture tends to flow down from the main office, so the DC office of NYC firm will tend to more strongly resemble a NYC firm than a real DC firm.[/quote]

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