Just got off the phone with a criminal defense attorney friend of mine in South Carolina. Excellent attorney. Anyway, he mentioned that South Carolina requires that he take a minimum number of what amount to pro bono cases every year. He told me the details of his latest appointment, discussed how he was able to help the client and generally bemoaned the inability of the less fortunate to afford good representation. Got me to thinking; friends and relatives are always asking me: “your clients are going bankrupt, how do you get paid?” Its a good question and the answer *(we do collect a fee for our services) is a function of the fact that consumer bankruptcy attorneys charge reasonable fees in light of the relief enjoyed by our clients. Nevertheless, many clients have difficulty paying attorney’s fees, do so in a payment plan or file for chapter 13 to pay the fee in installments. Whether the client can pay the fee or not, they’re all in need of help and rare is the case where an individual files bankruptcy with bad intentions. If I detect any, I don’t represent the client. Fact remains, bad things happen to good people and our clients need us, so what percentage of cases should a consumer bankruptcy attorney file pro bono? Should the number be a function of the amount of cases that office files per month or should it be based on “need?”