Small Business Making A Difference
Donna Peel with Pro Bono Network
in Oak Park, IL
When Donna Peel, former antitrust attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and mother of two boys, found it challenging to provide pro bono legal aid while balancing family life, she and nine other women attorneys created what is now the Pro Bono Network. The Pro Bono Network is a small, but growing, organization outside of Chicago that has brought 200 at-home attorneys (and counting!) to pro bono volunteerism. Their network of attorneys offers a large array of pro bono opportunities that involve critical human rights such as safety from an abuser, family unification, or decent housing. I Admire U Donna for turning your passion for volunteerism and your career into a network that helps people in your field serve our communities.
Interviewed by: Kristina Lilleberg
Donna in her own words...
1. You’ve had a rewarding career as an antitrust attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, what motivated you to become an attorney? Would you encourage others, such as your children to have careers in the legal field?
I was strongly encouraged by my mother to NOT be an attorney, but, after finding myself in economic research, I wanted an action-oriented profession. At the time I thought law would give me that. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. As for others, I would say that if you love to solve problems and do homework every day, a career in law might be the way to go. It’s as varied a profession as the entire job market itself, so I would encourage the person to think through what they want to do. My personal opinion about surveys showing that lawyers hate their jobs is that most people go to law school because they don’t know what else to do. It’s a pretty expensive experiment. That said, practicing law can save another person’s life, so . . .
2. You founded the Pro Bono Network because you found your plan to stay home with your children but to keep your law degree and legal skills marketable by volunteering pro bono was challenging. Can you explain the barriers you faced and how creating the Pro Bono Network provided you and others in a situation similar to yours support?
All true, and I am very proud to have developed the idea behind Pro Bono Network, but I just have to add here that it was founded by 10 women who answered my callout on an Oak Park, IL listserv called “mommail” and decided to try this. Sheila Pont and Heena Musabji were instrumental partners in putting their heart and soul (and dollars) into making this happen.
But back to your questions! Barriers! “At home with children” sums it up. My biggest obstacle was fear that I would not be as reliable as I believe a client deserves due to calls from school or a sitter falling through. Since I was at home, I did not have a full-time consistent sitter and, as any parent knows, finding that sporadic yet reliable sitter is a hurdle in itself. Then I can just pile on to the list of obstacles - training times were always past school hours; I was spending time commuting downtown; and finally, determining which volunteer opportunities would work for me was overwhelming. There are a lot of legal aid agencies in Chicago!
PBN was created to overcome this. We group attorneys in the same situation to work together. This way, we can provide backup for one another, have enough attorneys to warrant local trainings at convenient times, and vet opportunities so we can guide people to the right fit.
I was strongly encouraged by my mother to NOT be an attorney, but, after finding myself in economic research, I wanted an action-oriented profession. At the time I thought law would give me that. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. As for others, I would say that if you love to solve problems and do homework every day, a career in law might be the way to go. It’s as varied a profession as the entire job market itself, so I would encourage the person to think through what they want to do. My personal opinion about surveys showing that lawyers hate their jobs is that most people go to law school because they don’t know what else to do. It’s a pretty expensive experiment. That said, practicing law can save another person’s life, so . . .
2. You founded the Pro Bono Network because you found your plan to stay home with your children but to keep your law degree and legal skills marketable by volunteering pro bono was challenging. Can you explain the barriers you faced and how creating the Pro Bono Network provided you and others in a situation similar to yours support?
All true, and I am very proud to have developed the idea behind Pro Bono Network, but I just have to add here that it was founded by 10 women who answered my callout on an Oak Park, IL listserv called “mommail” and decided to try this. Sheila Pont and Heena Musabji were instrumental partners in putting their heart and soul (and dollars) into making this happen.
But back to your questions! Barriers! “At home with children” sums it up. My biggest obstacle was fear that I would not be as reliable as I believe a client deserves due to calls from school or a sitter falling through. Since I was at home, I did not have a full-time consistent sitter and, as any parent knows, finding that sporadic yet reliable sitter is a hurdle in itself. Then I can just pile on to the list of obstacles - training times were always past school hours; I was spending time commuting downtown; and finally, determining which volunteer opportunities would work for me was overwhelming. There are a lot of legal aid agencies in Chicago!
PBN was created to overcome this. We group attorneys in the same situation to work together. This way, we can provide backup for one another, have enough attorneys to warrant local trainings at convenient times, and vet opportunities so we can guide people to the right fit.
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3. You stated, “Five years later, our volunteer numbers speak for themselves.” One of the many difficulties of growing a small business or service is getting members. Can you describe how you grew the Pro Bono Network and what are your members like?
We formed because attorneys like me and the 9 other women who founded PBN, wanted to volunteer and found it impractical. Turns out, there is a voracious need by attorneys at home to volunteer as attorneys! Most of our volunteers were not looking for us, but they came upon us in the course of their day through a flyer or the internet and knew it was for them. As easy as this makes recruitment, it makes marketing interesting because the person isn’t looking for what we do. Hopefully we can continue to manage the numbers to ensure the attorneys are getting what they need because they are doing a ton of incredible work out there!
The vast majority of our volunteers are lawyers (we have translators and other professionals who lend organizational expertise). Most are parents and are either at home or have solo practices. Some are full time at law firms. All enjoy a selection of short term work that makes a difference and they like the camaraderie that comes with being with like-minded individuals who know what a difference legal aid makes.
4. You stated, “Women comprise a large percentage of legal aid clients, many of whom are trying to keep their children safe.” Can you further describe the impact of the Pro Bono Networks’ services on clients and our communities?
Our impact is wide because we take on so many important representations. Just a few examples include helping people stay in their apartments, ensuring that children are safe while their mothers are incarcerated, and representing those getting orders of protection against an abuser. Not only are we helping the most vulnerable with these important human rights issues, but the effect just spreads and spreads. If you help a mother stay safe from an abuser, you help her keep her job and health so she can keep her children safe and stable. Those children have a better chance to be productive members of our community, etc.
Here is a great example. Awhile back a husband came home and stabbed his wife to death in front of their two very young children. The wife’s sister happened to live there, along with her own husband and children. She ran to save the two young children and tried to stop the stabbing. When the police came, she and her husband were witnesses to what happened and ensured that the murderer went to jail. Now, however, we have two children in need of parents. The kids became wards of the state and they were placed with the sister and her husband. So, DCFS was paying them a monthly amount for child support. But our clients didn’t want that. They wanted to adopt the children and the children wanted that as well; however, they couldn’t. Why? Because, unlike everyone else in the scenario, they were not US citizens and did not have work authorizations. They couldn’t take the kids to Mexico because the kids were wards of the state, but they couldn’t adopt because they didn’t have work authorizations. We represented them in their application for a U Visa which allows victims of violence who have cooperated with law enforcement to stay in the country. This simple representation allows these US-citizen children to have a desperately needed secure family and, allows that family to legally work here to support them. This is civil legal aid.
"Our impact is wide because we take on so many important representations. Just a few examples include helping people stay in their apartments, ensuring that children are safe while their mothers are incarcerated, and representing those getting orders of protection against an abuser."
5. You describe how important having a community is for being a parent who is working as a pro bono attorney especially those on extended leave. What type of community does the Pro Bono Network provide? How do you believe that you and other attorneys benefit from being a part of the Pro Bono Network?
I love this! PBN offers a professional community for those who aren’t full-time practitioners but for whom being an attorney is still part of their identity or, perhaps, they know that there is a critical demand for their help. Most of our gatherings involve learning a new area of law, but we always introduce ourselves by talking about our family life. It helps to set the tone that we know our volunteers are professional even though they admit to having a family. I know. Sounds crazy, but it is a unique experience for many of our volunteers.
Most of our volunteers find a level of support that they have been missing. There is support for their need for a professional outlet as well as the understanding that they have chosen to be home for a reason and their home life is their priority. Because legal representation is taken extremely seriously by attorneys regardless of whether the client is paying or not, attorneys at home are hesitant to volunteer. My personal observation is that this is not only because of representation pressures, but because many of us were trained to act as if we did not have a family even when the work could be rescheduled or delayed. I once felt embarrassed to call someone to tell them my sitter cancelled and I would not be at a meeting. We desperately need attorneys but a simple sitter cancellation means I’m not professional? I should note, no one SAID this to me. However, I am not alone in having that anxiety, and many of our volunteers find PBN’s assumption of home life pressures is freeing. In the end, it is our society who benefits the most out of this though. They get the attorneys!
6. Before you founded the Pro Bono Network, you found yourself frustrated because you knew you had legal skills to provide help to those in need but also had to balance your own needs as a parent. What nuggets of wisdom would you share with someone who is being challenged to stay relevant in their careers while parenting at home?
No wisdom from me! I assume that person will figure it out. I have a plea though. Let’s support one another’s choices regarding family and careers. People on both sides love their families and put their families first and all should be able to do that.
7. You stated, “There are heart-string tugging stories of volunteers who, for the first time, feel like they are contributing at the level of their true value or whose children did not even know they were lawyers until they started volunteering.” You have two boys. How do your children feel about your work? How do you explain the importance of the Pro Bono Network to them?
Talk about revealing! Five years ago I put on a suit to teach Lawyers in the Classroom. Both were fascinated that I 1) had a suit; 2) was a lawyer; and 3) that I was volunteering at something that had nothing to do with them. Now they are 11 and 14. When I ask something of them because I have to work, I thank them for their support and talk about how they are contributing to helping someone. Sometimes I will also include them on a decision on whether or not I should chaperone a field trip or something. They love feeling like they are participating.
The importance of civil legal aid and bringing all available lawyers to the cause, is not something that they completely comprehend. It is a constant, if not lifelong, conversation. When I have permission, I will occasionally tell them a client story. Right now, addiction is something they like to ask a lot about. Who knew that I would have such real life examples.
8. You stated that funding for the Pro Bono Network is a long-term effort. What are your plans for continuing the growth of the Pro Bono Network? What are the ways for people to become involved in the network and its growth?
Funding is a way to say that we believe that how much money a person has should not determine whether she is entitled to her human rights such as safety. Even as an attorney, I had no idea how bad it is out there until I started volunteering and saw the lines and people turned away. Our system relies upon volunteers to help the poor navigate the legal system even though every $1 invested in such representation saves the taxpayer $5. So, our growth plan . . .
Well, with such a dire need for volunteers, PBN would love to be in a position to ensure that any attorney in Illinois who wants to volunteer is able to do so. Our model has worked for serving 1000 clients so far and we just got an office, so imagine what might happen! It’s all very exciting.
"Most of our gatherings involve learning a new area of law, but we always introduce ourselves by talking about our family life. It helps to set the tone that we know our volunteers are professional even though they admit to having a family. I know. Sounds crazy, but it is a unique experience for many of our volunteers."
9. You have done such a great job building a network that helps you and colleagues continue volunteering while supporting family life. I’m curious, what’s next for you?
My family and PBN is changing. Both are growing and I am enjoying being part of it.
10. I am encouraged by your creativity and drive to establish a network that allows you and other attorneys to continue practicing your professional skills and helping communities while balancing home life. I Admire U Donna, whose story do you admire?
Thank you Kristina! As I said earlier, I am surrounded by attorneys who shared in helping so many people. Every day I am inspired by my colleagues, Sheila Pont and Heena Musabji. Both are fantastic attorneys who felt that volunteering is important, but also found it hard to balance with children at home. In getting a new organization off the ground, I’m not sure how much balance is possible, but without them willing to sacrifice a great deal of time and financial resources, it would not have happened. They are a joy to work with and inspire many to give their time.
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