Law for The Poor

2010] MANAGING PRO BONO
2401
summer associates or for attorneys in new branch offices who might have
"different traditions" or preferences regarding pro bono participation.' 99 In
some cases, the survey was useful less to place cases than to "help convince
management that [pro bono work] was important to people within the
1n-.200
firm ' 2 O
Other counsel, however, found that surveys could not substitute for
knowledge gained from face-to-face relationships with firm attorneys:
" "I used to give a pro bono survey for incoming lawyers but am no
longer doing it .... In the end, it didn't prove valuable because the
attorneys [interested in pro bono] identify themselves. If I need to
know if someone is interested in an area, I go talk to them; if they
have time on their hands, they call me and we talk about [pro bono
opportunities]. "201
'
* "We still do surveys from time to time, but don't insist. The main
way we place cases is through e-mail, voicemail, or hallway. The
survey had limitations--someone failed to indicate interest in the
abstract, but may be interested in a certain fact situation received
through e-mail." '20 2
" "We just started using a questionnaire . . . [but there was a] low
response rate.... [So it] hasn't worked yet.... [Instead] I try to stay
socially in contact with all lawyers. We have weekly lunches. I
make it a point to never miss those. I want to know personally all the
lawyers who work here." 203
Other less common efforts to determine lawyer satisfaction included
soliciting feedback during lawyer performance reviews, exit interviews, and
case status reports. One pro bono counsel described seeking feedback from
the firmwide associates committee, which she would ask, "'[W]hat can we
do better and what can we do differently?' That has identified problems in
terms of inconsistencies-for example, with respect to how to open
cases.... Sometimes we hear that a partner is discouraging associates from
pro bono. That kind of feedback is helpful. ' 204 Another firm obtained
information from online evaluations of "CLE programs developed by the
Pro Bono Committee," as well as through the annual evaluation of the Pro
Bono Director, for which "the Pro Bono Committee solicits input from a
sampling of attorneys." 205
4. Stakeholder Satisfaction
Fewer efforts were made to obtain feedback from nonprofit groups with
which firms partnered or from pro bono clients. Only forty-five percent of
199. Interview 19 (Aug. 25, 2009).
200. Interview 11 (Aug. 21, 2009).
201. Interview 17, supra note 166.
202. Interview 23, supra note 176.
203. Interview 28, supra note 172.
204. Interview 19, supra note 199.
205. Survey Respondent 55.