Recruitment and Recognition. Judges can make a special effort to attend recruitment and recognition dinners to encourage participation in the honor of pro bono volunteers. It is important that judges stress the importance of individual participation by members of the bar in pro bono efforts. Simply put, lawyers are perhaps more willing to listen if they know the judge thinks it's important. Public Promotion of Pro Bono.
Judges have a unique opportunity to provide leadership in the pro bono arena.
There are a variety of methods that can be used to assist a pro bono lawyer and the court. First, judges must recognize that almost every pro bono case is otherwise a pro se litigant if counsel were not available and willing to help that litigant through the process. Pro bono lawyers help organize and present their cases-often reducing the time a court would otherwise spend dealing with pro se litigants. Assistance and support of pro bono activities must comply with judicial conduct constraints, but most jurisdictions allow judicial activism in this area, so long as fairness and impartiality are strictly maintained. These efforts conserve volunteers' time, minimize inconvenience to them and provide recognition for their efforts.