Country would benefit from community activism

"...but it's a triumph of community over individualism, a lesson that the entire country could benefit from."

I can think of no greater truth than Evan Pierce's statement above.

The NY State Bar "suggests" lawyers consider donating 20 hours per year to help poor people access justice. The national numbers are these - no more than 15-20 percent of all lawyers do something to help the poor access justice. That means 80-85% of all lawyers in Erie County have never, do not, and will never donate one minute, or one thin dime to help a poor person access justice.

How is a single mother of three earning $7.50 per hour supposed to hire one of Buffalo's downtown darlings to represent her against the thug who beats her and the kids regularly?

Every lawyer in this country has a moral obligation to provide access to justice to those who cannot afford it. And yet, the largest firms in Buffalo give maybe $50 per lawyer. The largest national firms are now paying their first year associates $125,000 to $145,000 per year. Twenty-five bucks an hour equals $52,000 per year. I can guarantee you that no large firm Buffalo lawyers would ever accept that kind of money.

I know which communities best represent Mr. Pierce's statement above. Dallas (where I live) isn't one of them. Buffalo isn't either.

Try Tulsa, Okla. Too far away you say? Try Rochester.

If you really want to help your community, call every lawyer you or your parents know and ask when they last took a pro bono case from Legal Aid.

How much better would Buffalo be if every lawyer in Erie County fulfilled their moral obligation to provide access to justice to those who cannot afford it?

Martin Luther King dreamed of a day when people would be judged by the content of their character. How much character do lawyers have when they have never fulfilled their profession's only significant moral obligation?

Communities are more than collections of human beings. Communities are places where people care about each other, not just themselves. ". . . a triumph of community over individualism, . . ."

Noble words, Mr. Pierce. Thirty years ago, we all thought that's what we were going to help build. Now it's your turn. Do a better job than your parents have.