#pro-bono-ethics

#pro-bono-ethics

The rally, held at 1 Silber Way, was organized by Terrier Courage, a group that has collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition urging the university to reconsider its rules on displays on public-facing windows and walls.

Sheryl Davis is accused of steering millions of dollars to Collective Impact, a San Francisco-based nonprofit she previously ran as executive director, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

He was always tired. Not the kind of tired you fix with a weekend off, but the kind that settles into your bones. Conversations with him felt rushed, as if he were always somewhere else mentally.

I am honored to take on the role of Chair of The Legal Aid Society's Board of Directors at such a pivotal time in the organization's 150-year history. Neuner's public service and pro bono responsibilities brought her to Legal Aid, where she serves on the Board's Development Committee. Her firm has partnered with Legal Aid for a variety of pro bono efforts.

The legal profession rewards endurance, precision and control. It also quietly normalizes stress, isolation and overextension. For patent practitioners and other IP lawyers, the pressures are uniquely acute: compressed prosecution deadlines, high-stakes litigation exposure, often unrealistic client-driven budget constraints, regulatory whiplash at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and increasingly complex technologies layered with global filing and prosecution strategy.

Fear is not a flaw or weakness. It is often a signal that something meaningful is trying to surface. For lawyers who want growth that feels aligned and sustainable, learning how to work with fear instead of around it can unlock real change. Our conversation focused on awareness, integrity, and inner stability, all essential skills for professionals who carry responsibility, ambition, and pressure every day.

As a finite supply of business exists in the legal industry, practitioners need to compete against each other. Clients consider many attributes when selecting counsel, including abilities, costs, and the capability to handle a given representation. When a lawyer suffers a health issue, it can create difficulties in maintaining client connection, since clients might believe that they should select other counsel without the same health challenges.

Lawyers and clients often develop years-long relationships during which clients and lawyers cultivate connections that often transcend the traditional attorney-client framework. During this relationship, clients may ask for favors in the form of favorable billing terms or other advantages that the lawyer is uniquely able to provide. Although it is acceptable to perform such favors for clients, lawyers should not do so under the assumption that it will result in additional work.