Marc Borbely
Pro Bono Net Volunteer Spotlight - Marc Borbely
Marc Borbely is a volunteer mentor with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's Advocacy & Justice Clinic. The Advocacy & Justice Clinic places more than 325 cases per year with volunteer attorneys for full representation in the areas of housing, family law, consumer law, and public benefits. Once a client and their attorney are matched through the clinic, the Pro Bono Center provides support throughout the case in the form of written materials, live and videotaped trainings, online resources via probono.net, staff experts, and most importantly, a dedicated volunteer mentor. Pro Bono Net thanks the DC Bar Pro Bono Center for sharing this volunteer profile, and encourage our readers to learn more about their work by exploring the Related Resources links below.
| Marc brings a wealth of experience to his mentorship. After earning his law degree from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, he spent four years as a staff attorney for the Neighborhood Legal Services Program litigating a variety of cases on behalf of low-income District residents. In 2013 he launched the D.C. Tenants' Rights Center, a firm dedicated exclusively to providing tenants with high quality representation at reasonable rates. Marc has successfully filled a gap in the legal community gaining recognition as a "low bono" provider, and quickly expanding the D.C. Tenants' Rights Center to a bustling firm with a healthy business and a staff of five. |
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| Though Marc could have focused exclusively on building his firm, his growing family, and his other professional affiliations, he has continued to give his time to the Pro Bono Center as a volunteer mentor. Marc is knowledgeable, experienced, empathetic, and kind. His kindness, in particular, is contagious. The Pro Bono Center is pleased to feature Marc Borbely as the generous and talented mentor that he is and we hope that others will be inspired to follow his example. Please see our questions for him and his answers below: |
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Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in pro bono legal work.
| I’ve been interested in fairness and equality, and in democracy, since high school. After college I taught in inner-city high schools for a bit, and saw crumbling infrastructure -- and a system that seemed more focused on sifting out good employees (and leaving behind nonconformists) than on educating and empowering citizens. I went to law school thinking I’d be able to help make things fairer. Imagine, for example, a constitutional amendment prohibiting discrimination based on socioeconomic status, or based on wealth. Imagine if we recognized a right to a high-quality education; or a right to health care; or a right to justice -- all regardless of wealth, income, or status. After law school, I spent four years working at Neighborhood Legal Services Program, in the District of Columbia. My clients were mostly people facing eviction. They wouldn’t have been able to pay for a lawyer, and most if not all would have been evicted without a fight, even where the law was on their side. To me, serving as their lawyer felt like helping someone who could have otherwise be taken advantage of or wronged. |
"To me, serving as their lawyer felt like helping someone who could have otherwise be taken advantage of or wronged." |
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Q: Can you share a highlight from a memorable case?
| I had a mentally ill client -- a veteran -- who was facing eviction from public housing for having threatened a neighbor with a toy gun (which the neighbor thought was real) while high on PCP. We litigated hard, raising fair-housing defenses, and collected supportive letters from his neighbors, including from the neighbor he had threatened. The housing authority eventually let him stay. That outcome felt great: a sick person kept his public housing. He was grateful that we had stuck with him. |
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Q: What kind of pro bono work are you involved in?
| Since 2011, I’ve been helping pro bono attorneys who are volunteering with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. These attorneys are representing tenants facing eviction; usually they start out unfamiliar with the District’s housing laws and court procedures; often, this case will be their first time interacting with -- and lawyering for -- clients. A few times over the course of the court case, we’ll talk through procedure, discuss defenses, or talk about frustrations they might be having with their client. |
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Q: What kinds of advice would you offer to someone looking to do some pro bono work? Any lessons you’ve learned?
"Like a friendship, an attorney-client relationship needs to be able to survive a client taking a path that’s different than the one the attorney would take." |
I find it hard to be a great lawyer for a client I can’t relate to -- for someone whose actions I don’t understand; for someone I just don’t like. Just last week, I finally started really liking a client I’d been working with for more than a year and a half. The turning point was spending a whole day together at a hearing, discussing the case with him during lunch, and laughing with him during a break. My main advice to a potential pro bono attorney is: be aware of the value of connection. There are often significant cultural divides between attorneys and their low-income pro bono clients. These divides can make connection harder. In addition, where there isn’t love at first sight (and there usually isn’t), an attorney can try to create opportunities to build understanding and trust. Usually, this means spending time together. If it’s a housing case, and your client is open to it, spend time with your client in his home. Try to join your client in his world for a bit, even if that might not be comfortable for either of you at first. |
| A lawyer is an expert of a sort; but expertise can get in the way of connection when it’s heavy handed or otherwise unwelcome. I like the idea that the lawyer can act as a resource, a coach, a guide. Sometimes, the lawyer can openly learn from and be guided by the client. That’s transformative. I encourage attorneys to try not to take offense when their clients make decisions that they don’t agree with or understand. Part of respecting the client is letting the client make the significant decisions. Like a friendship, an attorney-client relationship needs to be able to survive a client taking a path that’s different than the one the attorney would take. |
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Q: It is obvious that the need is overwhelming, but so is a busy work day: how do you find the time?
| I lack this skill. I struggle with prioritizing, and with managing my time. I have a hard time saying that I can’t do something, so I end up spending less time relaxing or hanging out with family than I’d like. I stay up late, and I don’t sleep much. |
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Enhance access to justice. Improve the legal system. Empower lawyers to achieve. These three pillars have remained the foundation of the D.C. Bar’s mission since its creation by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 1972.
