Panel makes pitch to include pro bono in certification reviews.

A lawyer's pro bono service should be considered as part of his or her professional background when seeking certification from The Florida Bar, but pro bono service should not be mandatory for those seeking certification.

The Pro Bono Legal Services Committee made that recommendation at its September 19 gathering at the Bar's Midyear Meeting in Orlando.

The committee vote was unanimous to recommend to the Board of Legal Specialization and Education that meeting the Bar's aspirational pro bono goals should be considered as part of the professionalism, practice, and ethics section of the application form. That aspirational goal is to annually provide 20 hours of pro bono service or a $350 donation to a legal aid agency.

A motion followed to recommend to BLSE that certification applicants be required to meet the pro bono standard in order to be certified or recertified. That motion, however, was withdrawn after it became apparent a majority of committee members opposed it.

Committee member Robert Johnson said he was concerned that while it might be possible to have pro bono service considered as part of the certification process, asking that such service be mandatory may result in no changes.

"We've had this issue [mandatory pro bono] come before this committee many times, and it's always been divisive every time it comes up," said committee member Natasha Williams. "It...