Hehe... I was just wondering, because is seems like you claim to know someone who's an expert in pretty much everything about which there's a discussion...

Experts? I think that is an exaggeration. I know a lot of people. :)

Lets examine where you are getting that impression. These are the things about me that I have revealed on here:
I come from a family of attorneys, I have an uncle who is the CEO of a defense company in Washington D.C. (and who thus knows lots of people in D.C.) and I know several people who have been or are currently in Iraq.

Anything else?

Experts? I think that is an exaggeration. I know a lot of people. :)

Lets examine where you are getting that impression. These are the things about me that I have revealed on here:
I come from a family of attorneys, I have an uncle who is the CEO of a defense company in Washington D.C. (and who thus knows lots of people in D.C.) and I know several people who have been or are currently in Iraq.

Anything else?
I don't know. I wasn't trying to prove anything, it just seems like you always know someone to back up your opinions on things, that's all.

Oh yes! And my brother who works in televsion in LA.
Can't forget about him.

I don't know. I wasn't trying to prove anything, it just seems like you always know someone to back up your opinions on things, that's all.

Well, my opinions do come from somewhere.

And unlike the "entertainment" posters on here, I don't pull my opinions out of my ass. :)

I pull mine out of my brain.

I pull mine out of my brain.

Hey! Me Too!

There is no requirement in my state for lawyers to do any pro-bono work. Perhaps there are in some, but certainly not all states.

You're correct; I was wrong. There are three states that do not require attorneys to do pro bono work (IL, OH, NC).

I know a lot of really, really good lawyers and none of them do any pro bono work. Not even for their best friends.

Pro bono work isn't something you "do for your friends." It's specifically designed to give free legal aid to those who cannot afford it otherwise. And while I'm sure you know a lot of really, really good lawyers, I'm afraid your anecdotal evidence is nothing more than that. The vast majority of attorneys in this country are required to do at least a few hours of pro bono work annually.

Pro bono or public defense are what new lawyers who have just passed the bar do in order to get experience and perhaps make a name for themselves.

Uhhhh... I don't think so. As I already noted, annual pro bono work is an attorney requirement in 47 of the 50 states (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/stateethicsrules.html). In addition, there are several significant state, local and national Senior Lawyer Pro Bono Projects (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/senior_lawyers.html), overseen by the ABA. Check it out.

Well, I stand corrected. "A few hours" of pro bono work a year by senior attorneys is really going to level the playing field between corporations and individual workers. :rolleyes:

You're correct; I was wrong. There are three states that do not require attorneys to do pro bono work (IL, OH, NC).

Uhhhh... I don't think so. As I already noted, annual pro bono work is an attorney requirement in 47 of the 50 states (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/stateethicsrules.html). In addition, there are several significant state, local and national Senior Lawyer Pro Bono Projects (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/senior_lawyers.html), overseen by the ABA. Check it out.

If you read the rule that the 47 states have adopted in some fashion, you'll see that the pro bono rule is "aspirational." In other words, they really want you to, but it's not a requirement.

Well, I stand corrected. "A few hours" of pro bono work a year by senior attorneys is really going to level the playing field between corporations and individual workers. :rolleyes:

Is there really any doubt that wealth has a lot of influence on what kind of justice you get? It also influences the quality of your food, your home, your health care, and your gravestone.

If you read the rule that the 47 states have adopted in some fashion, you'll see that the pro bono rule is "aspirational." In other words, they really want you to, but it's not a requirement.

Dammit, Lionel! Don't be confusing me with pesky facts! ;)

Ok, I misread the State-by-State Pro Bono Rules and was wrong about there being a hard-and-fast pro bono requirement, however, this doesn't mean that attorneys do not offer their services for free. It only means that some of them don't adhere to the ABA's recommendations.

Now back to the issue at hand: we've already ascertained that state and federal agencies will prosecute workplace/worker abuses at no cost to the worker, that many attorneys - many GOOD attorneys - do contingency work, and that at least some of them do pro bono work. This would seem to counter dharma's claim that without unions, workers have no legal recourse when it comes to employers breaking employment laws.

I wonder how many of these cases actually see court, and how many are just settled....

They only prosecute the cases they think they can win and if you, as a worker, are their primary witness or whistleblower, then it is more certainly not free.

Whistleblowers tend to pay steep prices for doing the right thing.

If you are going to whistleblow, have proof. Just reporting claims of wrongdoing can and probably should backfire onto you.

That is just common sense.

Stock Market suffers second largest drop of the year. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070313/wall-street)