How One Law Firm Found A Way To Do Work It Loves – And Pay the Bills

A few months back, I offered a variety of ways that lawyers can do work they love even when it doesn’t pay the bills. So I was delighted to come across this Forbes piece on the Boston-based firm, Dhar Law.

Founded by two brothers, Vilas and Vikas Dhar, the firm’s original mission was to focus on pro bono cases, and subsidize the caseload with higher end work. But as is often the case, theory and practice diverge – and the Dhar brothers discovered that the pro bono cases were far more complex than anticipated. So in addition to serving pro bono clients individually, the Dhars “created their own community, a 501(c)3 that would foster collaboration among nonprofits and provide working space and mentoring at a cost of $150 to $250/month.

Today, the space includes 12 organizations, ranging from new start ups to established enterprises. Not only does the start up space help non-profits directly, but my guess is that it effectively serves as a lead generator for the Dhars’ firm – one that’s far more productive and useful than pay per lead or Google ad words.

So for those of you in law school actually hoping to find paid work at a non-profit, why wait? Start your own like the Dhars who are proving that it can be done.