Foley & Lardner LLP partner Monica Call joined a roundtable discussion on Utah’s legal industry summarized in the Utah Business article, “The past and present of Utah’s legal industry.”
Call, who is managing partner of Foley’s Salt Lake City office, highlighted the constraints on the industry’s growth in the state and the value of pro bono service.
“As a legal market, we face some of the same constraints other businesses here in Utah do,” Call explained. “We’ve grown so fast, and there are so many opportunities that we have problems with affordable housing and child care. My clients have discussed expanding their presence here in Utah, [specifically] in Ogden, but child care choices are few and far between. Many are excited about the opportunity, but there isn’t the same infrastructure here.”
Asked about how firms encourage pro bono service, Call noted the value of the work, particularly for younger attorneys, as it “offers the opportunity to gain in-court experience and helps them be more engaged in the community.”
“As we’ve emphasized it, our participation rates have risen,” she added. “Firms need to put their money where their mouth is and give billable hour credit to it.”
