Intellectual Property Law

Why are there no pro bono Lawyers who will take a whistle blower case?

We talked to most of the Lawyers in town. We thought we had a lawyer but he backed off. People think it is easy to get a lawyer to take your case but not in this town.

Public Comments

1. Lawyers will only take your case pro bono if they feel you can win and then they will get paid from some sort of settlement, obviously the lawyers you spoke with didnt feel you had a good case.
2. Why do so many people want pro bono lawyers? I'm sure you think your cause is just, but that doesn't mean you're entitled to free representation. Whistle blower cases are very time-consuming and difficult and you are often faced with "deep-pocket" opposition who will just spend money in a dilatory fashion to make it even more costly for the unwary.
3. I suspect your disappointment lies in the idea that pro bono work is free. It isn't. It costs just as much money as any other case, and in addition to the obvious court costs, the lawyer still has to pay his light bill and keep his payroll going. You're asking that they invest thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of dollars of their own money. Now add to that the fact that whistleblower cases are by definition brought against corporations, probably with deep pockets and an ability to put up a stiff legal defense. The longer the defense can drag things out, the more it costs the plaintiff's side, and a lawyer can easily go bankrupt before he sees a cent even if you have a slam-dunk winner. It's quite possible the costs of the case will be greater than the settlement, even assuming you win, so you're asking a heck of a lot.
4. It is very easy for a lawyer to spend thousands of dollars in taking on a whistle blower case. Besides the tons of work that these type of cases demand, there are the expenses, and usually you are up against a company who will do anything to raise the price. You need to look outside your town and in the bigger cities in your state for a lawyer who wants to gamble money on your case.
5. For a whistleblower suit, the attorney would most likely be up against a big corporation with a legal department and nearly unlimited financial assets. You want the lawyer to work for you for free? It costs alot of money to litigate a case like this. Depositions, investigations, the costs of obtaining lots of records, etc., etc.....These suits often end up in court for years. It generally is easy to get a lawyer. The thing is that they usually want to get paid. I know that lawyers have reputations as greedy b*stards, but, on the other hand, there are an awful lot of people who think they ought to work for free and that's just not right.