Steptoe & Johnson LLP has tapped a former Dechert LLP attorney to oversee the firm's volunteer legal work, adding a pro bono veteran with a deep background in public interest issues including immigration law, veterans benefits and homelessness.

Steptoe's new pro bono counsel Paul Lee, who worked in a deputy role at Dechert, is replacing outgoing pro bono coordinator Barbara Kagan, one of the first dedicated pro bono program heads at a major firm, who is retiring after 25 years at Steptoe.

"We look forward to Paul's leadership in expanding and modernizing our pro bono program to meet the new challenges faced daily by the unrepresented and underrepresented, in order to make a real difference in their lives," Jim Rocap, chair of Steptoe's Public Service Committee, said in a statement.

Lee told Law360 that his goal is to ensure that the firm continues the good work begun under Kagan's leadership.

"[My job is] to make sure the attorneys here feels supported, that they're trained and mentored along the way, and well-equipped to handle these very complicated areas of law where there is so much at stake for our clients," Lee said. "I take that as a very big responsibility."

Lee credited Steptoe with having a strong pro bono program that has excelled in areas like immigration.

However, he said, there are a few ways he would like to start expanding the firm's program. In particular, he would be interested in reaching out internationally by partnering with human rights or global development organizations, and working on targeted, big-issue cases.

Lee has an extensive pro bono resume beyond Dechert. He has served as the pro bono coordinator for Kids in Need of Defense, which provides pro bono representation to unaccompanied immigrant children, and currently is secretary of the D.C. Bar board of governors and a board member of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. He said he's always enjoyed being involved in a wide variety of projects.

"I get bored easily," he joked. "Being able to become … knowledgeable about lots of different areas of pro bono work keeps me energized and interested. With firms the size of Steptoe … we take on such a variety of pro bono work, I think people in this position have to be a little knowledgeable about everything."

He added that it's a tricky time for pro bono work as many of the organizations the firm partners with are struggling, caught between a dwindling pool of grant money and a sharp rise in demand for their services, especially in areas like immigration.

"This is a very tumultuous time in our culture," Lee said.

However, firms like Steptoe can make a difference by leveraging a veritable army of attorneys for public interest law, Lee suggested.

"There's only so much that I as an individual can do to help the public interest," he said. "But if I can work with [more than 500] attorneys and get them to do great work, that's all the more rewarding."

--Editing by Kelly Duncan.