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Small Maryland law firm encourages pro bono work

By Raju Chebium
CNN.com Correspondent

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Stephen Nolan acknowledged that as a young lawyer he found it difficult to balance his job, pro bono work and personal life.

With experience he found a way to balance the three. Today, with 23 years of experience under his belt, he is firmly committed to providing pro bono legal services and is a staunch pro bono advocate in Maryland, where lawyers and judges are actively working toward increasing such voluntary work.

Nolan, managing partner of Nolan, Plumhoff & Williams, a 13-member law firm in Towson, Maryland, said his firm counts pro bono work as part of an attorney's total billable hours. That sends the message, he said, that pro bono work is as important as paying work.

Since he is trying to create a pro bono culture in his firm, the "only way to do that is to lead by example," he said. "Most busy lawyers I know make the time to do pro bono legal service because they know that that is the highest form of professionalism."

He said he is heartened by the fact that many fresh graduates are seeking firms that encourage pro bono work -- a signal that young lawyers remain idealistic.

"It tells me that people going to law school, for the most part, understand the professional obligation to give something back and that they embrace it, they are not resistant to it," he said. "They want to be assured that (pro bono) has value to the firm with which they are going to practice."

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