Private lawyers have always done pro bono work–representing needy clients for free while still being paid by their firms. In recent years the concept has expanded to include “lend a prosecutor” programs, providing badly needed relief for courts overloaded with drug and other serious criminal cases. In this case, the volunteers say that they signed up to balance the scales of justice when they learned that more than 100 defense attorneys had offered to advise the demonstrators. “The defendants could have kept the courtrooms tied up for a long time, taking manpower away from drunk-driving or gun-possession cases,” says one former district attorney who is supervising a dozen volunteers from his firm.
But lawyers for the demonstrators say it’s not a fair fight. The prosecutor’s office gets expert help at no charge, but not the defendants. Under the city’s penal code, the charges aren’t serious enough to merit free legal representation. “I felt like David against Goliath facing those two guys in slick ‘L.A. Law’ suits,” says Natasha Dregson, who was tried last month on charges of blocking a public thoroughfare. It was a daunting experience for Dregson, a florist - and a frustrating one for the high-powered attorneys representing the people. She was acquitted.
