I Thought "Pro Bono" Was a Good Thing?

But apparently I was wrong. Or so says one of the judges of the Second Circuit (via TalkLeft):

Pro bono work primarily is an 'antisocial' and self-serving activity lawyers use to develop their skills, firms use to recruit and "give solace" to associates, and nonprofits use to further a political agenda, Judge Jacobs argued.

In particular, litigation against the government and government officials and impact litigation are attempts to improperly expand the courts' reach in legislative matters, the judge said.

Look, I'll admit that there are some pro bono crusaders who go too far and abuse the system, but can anyone honestly say the same doesn't happen when the attorneys are getting paid? Certainly nobody's ever heard of big civil defense firms who abuse the system for hundreds of dollars per hour, huh? It's apparent that the judge's problems aren't with the lawyers, but with their clients. How dare "those damn people" actually get access to the courts!

Oh, and this particularly amuses me:

'Unlike government lawyers, [pro bono attorneys] don't have to take responsibility for their wins and losses,' Jacobs said.

Yeah, sure. I see courts forcing government lawyers to take responsibility all the time.