Ep 139: Fred Rooney, the Father of Legal Incubators, On Helping Young Lawyers Do Well to Do Good

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The</span> <a href= "https://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/2013_legal_rebels_a_banner_year"> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABA Journal</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">dubbed</span> <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrooney/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Fred Rooney</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">the father of legal incubators. He developed the first incubator in 2007 at City University of New York Law School, spawning the launch of some</span> <a href= "https://www.americanbar.org/groups/delivery_legal_services/initiatives_awards/program_main/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">70 incubators</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">in the years since, many with Fred’s guidance or based on his model. While most are in the U.S., Rooney is now helping create incubators worldwide, in countries as diverse as the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria and Pakistan. In fact, as we recorded this episode, Rooney was just back from the Gaza Strip, where he was developing an incubator for young Palestinian lawyers funded by the United Nations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The legal incubator model that Rooney created serves dual missions. It helps young lawyers develop the business and practice skills they need to launch their own community-based legal practices, providing them space, mentoring and training. It also helps lawyers build practices that address the needs of low- and moderate-income individuals by offering affordable, community-based services. A</span> <a href= "https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/center-for-innovation/deliveryoflegalservices/delivery-legal-incubator-survey-2021.pdf"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">recent ABA survey</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">concluded that incubators are effective at supporting the career development of lawyers interested in starting solo and small-firm practices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rooney believes that for lawyers to