Lawyers Do <i> Pro Bono </i> Work

I was astounded to read the recent Times news story and editorial that reported that pro bono work by lawyers is “a practice that hasn’t fully taken hold in Orange County� and is just being discovered by the large, high-powered law firms.

As the wife of a former Orange County attorney, who has been a Superior Court judge since 1981, I have been fortunate over the past 17 years to know and listen to countless attorneys share their stories about their pro bono experiences and those of their peers.

The dinner-time conversations at my house revolve around the attorneys my husband calls upon to give free legal help when the need arises in his courtroom. Never once have the Jennifer Kings, the Boo Giuffrees, the Marc Tovsteins, the Richard Collenders, the Nina Wests or the Jerry Phillipses, among others, ever refused his plea to aid others.

Free legal service for the poor may be something relatively new for the large law firms, but for the sole practitioners and those in the small law offices, it has been an integral part of the profession.

Jennifer King, the immediate past president of the Orange County Bar Assn., best typifies the concern of Orange County attorneys. Even though she is a sole practitioner and was in the very demanding and time-consuming position as bar president last year, she expended great effort in her mission of pro bono work.

JUDY M. MANDEL, Fullerton