Lawyers Cause Homelessness
Elite Lawyers Can Channel Their Inner William Kunstler From Their Posh Corner Offices, But They Are Kidding Themselves If They Think That Their Efforts Are “For The Public Good.” Who, If Anyone, Really Benefits From Homeless Encampments In Countless Blighted Cities? Certainly Not The Cities’ Residents, And Arguably Not Even The Troubled, Dysfunctional People Now Permitted To Live In Dangerous, Squalid, Disease-Ridden, Open-Air Drug Dens.
Pro Bono Work Has Strayed Far From Its Intended Mission Of Helping Poor People With Routine Legal Problems. It Has Become Corporate-Subsidized Political Advocacy On A Vast Scale. If Law Firms Wish To Help Those Less Well-Off, They Should Give Money—Out Of Their Own Coffers, As Some Currently Do—To Legal-Aid Organizations That Are Both Designed And Equipped To Serve The Populations Needing Assistance, With Appropriate Supervision And Case Selection, And A Greater Emphasis On Client Satisfaction.
