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Bar News - May 9, 2003 A Legal Services Leader by Example By: Lisa Segal Former Georgia Gov. Barnes to be keynote speaker at Bar Foundation Annual Dinner. FORMER GEORGIA GOVERNOR Roy E. Barnes will share his philosophy on pro bono service with the NH legal community at the NH Bar Foundation's Annual Dinner on May 22, 2003. After failing in his bid for re-election last November, Barnes decided to spend six months as a full-time pro bono attorney for a legal services agency. The surprising defeat of Gov. Barnes, a popular incumbent, had an unexpectedly positive result - his announcement that he would spend six months as a full-time attorney for Atlanta Legal Aid Society (ALAS), a Legal Services Corporation-funded organization that has represented Atlanta's poor in civil legal cases since 1924. His decision also drew nationwide attention to a compelling example of how lawyers contribute every day to the cause of equal justice for all. "We are thrilled that Gov. Barnes accepted our invitation to speak at the Foundation's dinner," said Emily Rice, chair of the NH Bar Foundation. "We've planned this year's dinner to be a real celebration of the commitment of New Hampshire lawyers to the ideal of equal justice as demonstrated by their support for the Campaign for Legal Services. In difficult times - with war, a down economy, state budget woes, etc. - Gov. Barnes' message will be a wonderful encouragement to the New Hampshire legal community to stick to our values and provide equal justice for all in our state despite the sacrifices." Barnes, whose career has included being a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and civil litigator for both plaintiffs and defense, has a history of doing pro bono work for ALAS. Admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1972, he said he's always had a sense of the importance of providing volunteer legal services to those who can't afford them. "That's really the reason we all became lawyers - to help people," he said. Barnes was elected governor of Georgia in 1998. During his tenure, he changed the Georgia state flag to minimize the confederate symbol, which many believe was a major factor in his failed bid for re-election. "Don't ever change the Confederate flag in the South," Barnes joked about his defeat. As he prepared to leave the governor's office following his defeat, Barnes received a number of offers to return to practice with large law firms, "but I decided I wanted to do something I like and something that would do some good." "I can't go around recommending that others volunteer more if I'm not doing so myself," he said, so he opted to spend the next six months, beginning in January, as a pro bono ALAS attorney. Barnes is doing mostly consumer work - predatory lending cases, cases involving tax liens, consumer fraud cases - "a wide range," he said. He believes that his background of working mostly in small firms has prepared him well for the kind of pro bono work he's now doing. "I've always worked in small firms, which are best suited to do pro bono work because they're used to dealing with consumer actions, evictions - the kinds of cases Legal Aid sees on a daily basis." Nevertheless, Barnes feels that senior lawyers in larger firms are equally responsiblef or meeting the obligation of taking pro bono cases, rather than relying on their firms' younger associates to volunteer. "The big-firm senior lawyers need to become more involved, as do all firms," he said. Barnes' experience as a volunteer attorney for ALAS thus far has been "great," he said. He works an eight-plus-hour day in a small 10-by-10 office. "He has no special secretary, no special receptionist, no special equipment. There's been no superstar quality to this at all. That's exactly what it's not," said ALAS Executive Director Steve Gottlieb in Equal Justice Magazine. "I've been working with a lot of elderly people living on minimal Social Security, having a hard time getting by, who are being taken advantage of in some way. It feels good to help those people, to give back," said Barnes. Barnes said he looks forward to sharing with attendees of this year's Bar Foundation Annual Dinner his message about attorneys' obligation to support legal services. "My general message will be that this is a great profession we have - let's make sure it's looked upon as one that gives back more than it takes," he said. "The freedom we have to enjoy practicing law is a privilege, not a right. We have a monopoly on the ability to charge for legal services, and in return it is our obligation, our duty to provide those legal services to those who can't afford them. As attorneys, it's our obligation to give back." NH Bar Foundation Executive Director Tina Abramson said that she hopes Barnes' inspirational story will encourage an even higher level of support for NH's legal services providers. "Gov. Barnes is living his commitment to equal justice - a commitment that is mirrored in the New Hampshire legal community, which has demonstrated strong support for Pro Bono, the Campaign for Legal Services and national legal aid leadership over the years, and across all segments of the Bar," said Abramson. "We are looking forward to being inspired to new heights of service and support for legal assistance lawyers in New Hampshire who, at great personal cost, solve problems of safety, shelter and livelihood for vulnerable clients every day."
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