Chapman University, Fowler School of Law, professor Ronald Rotunda addresses a response to his earlier column on mandatory pro bono for lawyers. Rotunda argues that mandatory pro bono for lawyers would be a unique and unwarranted burden, given that the law grants exclusive privileges to other professions, such as dentists to practice dentistry, without requiring them to provide their services to the indigent for free.
Guest columnist Joseph A. Sullivan, special counsel and director of pro bono programs at Pepper Hamilton LLP, responds to Verdict columnist Ronald Rotunda with respect to his opinion on mandatory pro bono for lawyers. Sullivan argues that even if such a requirement to practice law is akin to a tax, as Rotunda posits, it is a just tax, exchanged for the privilege of lawyers to practice law to the exclusion of non-lawyers.
