Mr Abraham Vergis, SC, Managing Partner of Providence Law Asia LLC (left), with Mr Tris Xavier (Right) sharing his experiences during the Q&A session.
The term “pro bono” originates from the Latin phrase “pro bono publico”, which means “for the public good”. For law students, the Pro Bono programme is the act of serving the public good without payment, which requires them to complete 20 hours of pro bono work as part of their graduation requirements. As pro bono work is not a requirement for lawyers, what motivates some of them to continue taking on pro bono cases?
Mr Abraham Vergis, SC, Law Society’s Pro Bono Ambassador 2021/2022 and Managing Partner of Providence Law Asia LLC, shared with SUSS law students his reasons for continuing pro bono work despite his busy professional schedule. He added that he was an outlier in the 90s when he took up pro bono work despite joining a large law firm, as pro bono was not highly prevalent then. Nonetheless, his early pro bono experiences were positive and motivated him to do more. He shares, “Each pro bono case impacts more than just the client’s life as there is an entire ecosystem and community around the client for whom a difference is made.
.png?sfvrsn=54c62822_2 "SUSS School of Law students and faculty with Mr Abraham Vergis, SC, after an engaging session.")
SUSS School of Law students and faculty with Mr Abraham Vergis, SC, after an engaging session.
Mr Vergis reminded our students of the critical role lawyers play in the criminal justice system and encouraged them to use their legal knowledge and skills to help the vulnerable, disadvantaged, and poor in society navigate the legal system. He advised them to guard against making assumptions, as everyone has prejudices and forms presumptions based on previous experiences. He encouraged them to look at each case with a fresh pair of eyes so that they approach it with fewer preconceived notions, which may enable them to help their client better.
Kester Tan, SUSS Law student, shared, "It was incredibly inspiring to hear Mr Abraham Vergis, SC, share from his wealth of pro bono experience. It gave a human element to the material we go through in Law school, highlighting a different, more relational perspective to law practice. It serves as a reminder that one of the reasons we should be tenacious in our practice is because clients live with the consequences of our work, and it can even be a matter of life and death.
One of the sentences that stuck with me was that litigators are a “tribe”, and the satisfaction of working in this field goes beyond money. It was refreshing and inspiring to learn more about law practice beyond the textbook, and I’m looking forward to more sessions like this.”