Why Volunteer Attorney Lisa Nyuli does Pro Bono

Attorney Lisa Nyuli is a partner in the law firm of Ariano, Hardy, Nyuli, Johnson, Richmond & Goettel, P.C. She has been in practice for 19 years and has experience in almost all areas of civil litigation. Her focus in the last 7-8 years has been in the areas of family law, including divorce, bankruptcy, collections and foreclosure. Lisa has been a long-time volunteer with Administer Justice. We asked her a few questions about her pro bono work:

- Why do you do pro bono work?
I believe that pro bono work is an ethical obligation for all lawyers, as well as a requirement to be a decent person in society. If I am able to help someone less fortunate than myself, I believe that I should, and so I try to. I think it is especially important in the legal system, which can be difficult for people to negotiate on their own, and when, unfortunately, sometimes the system (and some bad attorneys) takes advantage of people just because they don’t have the knowledge or ability to fight for their rights.

- What can you tell us about your pro bono experience?
I hope you’ll excuse me for saying this, but volunteering for your clinics has always been somewhat of a blessing and a curse at the same time! Every time I do a clinic, I feel compelled by at least half of the people I talk to. I am always amazed, and humbled, by the stories, and the number that could be helped if attorneys just had the time and inclination. Of course, you always have to try to dissuade clients from misusing the system for matters that the courts aren’t really set up for. So the blessing is being able to help, and the curse is not having the time to help all who need help. It’s always a joke with my assistant when she knows that I am doing a clinic; she tells me to be strong, don’t take in everyone, you have other clients, and do other pro bono work as well! That’s probably not what you want to hear about volunteering for you! She just rolled her eyes at me the last time I was there, when, even though 95% of my practice is family law these days, I came back with a collection matter. The other curse of the clinic is telling someone they don’t have a matter that can be helped by the courts or an attorney.

- Is there a specific pro bono case that stands out or has particular significance to you?
I’m always happy to help someone and pleased when I can make their road easier. No one specific case jumps out at me; there have been many good experiences and great clients that have had their problems handled. Sadly, cases that jump out at me overall tend to be the ones where the clients were disrespectful or mean or unappreciative. So I don’t dwell on the handful of those. I just think that it is important to treat each pro bono client the same as I do my paying clients. Most of the time, that is all people are looking for.