Along with the privileges of being a lawyer come responsibilities, one of which includes a lawyer’s pro bono obligation to provide legal services and access to justice to those in need. Nebraska Law’s Pro Bono Initiative seeks to encourage and recognize students who complete qualifying pro bono work while in law school.
“There is much more in a profession than a traditionally dignified calling. The term refers to [men and women] pursuing a learned art as a common calling in the spirit of public service - no less a public service because it may incidentally be a means of livelihood. Pursuit of the learned art in the spirit of a public service is the primary purpose. Gaining a livelihood is incidental, whereas in a business or trade it is the entire purpose.”
Roscoe Pound
The Lawyer of Antiquity to Modern Times 5 (1953)