By William D. Nobriga
Practicing law is demanding—mentally, emotionally, and especially in terms of time. Billable hours, large projects, team meetings, written motions, and court appearances fill lawyers’ schedules. Adding pro bono work to this already full plate can seem impossible. Yet lawyers can and should make time for it. Pro bono work not only helps the community, but it also provides unmatched opportunities to develop legal skills for newer lawyers. More importantly, it fulfills an ethical duty: the Nevada Rules of Professional Conduct state that “[e]very lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay,” according to NRPC 6.1(a). This rule also provides an aspirational goal of providing at least 20 pro bono hours per year.
This means that the question is not whether lawyers should do pro bono work but, rather, how lawyers can make pro bono work a consistent part of their practices. By following these few simple steps, you can integrate pro bono work into your everyday practice.
1. Take pro bono cases that are feasible with the amount of time you have
The first step is to ensure that the cases you take are within the time limitations of your work schedule. Pro bono cases do not have to be hundreds of hours. There are many pro bono opportunities that are not time intensive. For example, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada offers opportunities to answer discrete questions that individuals may have through its Ask-A-Lawyer Program. This program has a limited time commitment and provides a benefit to the community. This is an excellent way to begin pro bono work with a minimal time commitment.
For more traditional cases, you should look at the facts of the case and try to determine how time intensive the case will be. You should ensure that the scope of your representation is clear and is limited to the work that needs to be done. This way, you can take cases that are within your time capacity. That said, there are times where cases expand beyond your expectations. You should keep this in mind and schedule accordingly.
2. Prioritize pro bono work
The best way to make pro bono a consistent part of your practice is to prioritize it. Treat pro bono clients with the same professionalism as paying clients. Pay attention to calendar deadlines, communicate commitments with your team, and allocate resources accordingly.
Making pro bono work a priority will ensure that you take both the client and the work seriously. This will allow you to manage your pro bono cases in the same manner that all other cases are managed, and pro bono cases will become a normal part of your practice routine.
3. Work in a team
Even when you prioritize pro bono work and evaluate a case to ensure that you have the time to commit, pro bono matters may be more time-consuming than you initially thought. For example, resolving a case may lead to taking on additional work beyond the scope of the original representation agreement. I had this experience in a family law appeal where I ultimately ended up helping in the underlying case as well.
A way to combat this is to work in a team while doing pro bono work. Collaborating with colleagues helps prevent pro bono matters from exceeding your capacity.
4. Take pro bono matters that interest you
Finally, taking pro bono matters that interest you will help to ensure that you do more pro bono work. There is a broad spectrum of legal needs in our community. If you pick matters that interest you and that align with your skill sets, pro bono work becomes less of a chore and more of an area to help with your own development as a lawyer. For example, I have experience doing appellate work and enjoy appeals. The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada has an appellate program that guarantees oral argument. Through this program, I have been able to draft appellate briefs and argue cases before appellate courts, which has helped me further develop that skill set.
Pro bono work is important and highly rewarding. Lawyers are uniquely positioned to serve their communities—and we should embrace that privilege by helping those in need. We should all do more pro bono work.
About the author
William D. Nobriga is an associate at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, with experience in commercial and employee-benefits litigation and administration. He has appellate experience before Nevada’s appellate courts and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and takes pro bono appeals through the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.
About the article
This article was originally published in the Communiqué (Oct. 2025), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2025/communique-oct-2025/. The printed magazine will be mailed out to CCBA members on October 1, 2025.
The articles and advertisements appearing in Communiqué magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CCBA, the CCBA Publications Committee, the editorial board, or the other authors. All legal and other issues discussed are not for the purpose of answering specific legal questions. Attorneys and others are strongly advised to independently research all issues.
© 2025 Clark County Bar Association (CCBA). All rights reserved. No reproduction of any portion of this issue is allowed without written permission from the publisher. Editorial policy available upon request.