Retired Lawyer Summoned To Undo Bad Deed That Victimized Elderly Homeowner; Unwinds Home Title Ripoff, Forces Bank To Restore Cash From Drained Acct.

Buried at the end of a recent New York Law Journal story on the push to advance attorney pro bono efforts to represent the poor in civil cases is this excerpt on one retired lawyer who became involved in the program:

• Roger Hawke, 74, began volunteering for Legal Aid in Brooklyn the day after he retired as a partner for Sidley Austin, for which he handled litigation worth billions of dollars. "I just couldn't see myself getting up every day and saying, 'what am I going to do today?'" he said.

• Two and sometimes three days a week, he advocates for the elderly in cases where $10,000 can determine a major change in the quality of a person's life. In one case, someone forged an elderly client's power of attorney, transferred ownership of his house and cleaned out his bank account. Hawke brought successful actions to quiet title and force the bank to restore the funds.

Source: N.Y. Chief Judge Boosts Efforts to Tap Retired Lawyers for Pro Bono (Judge Jonathan Lippman said that the graying of the bar presents a 'window of opportunity' for encouraging pro bono).