The characteristics of professionals recruited into the Legal Services Program sponsored by the Office of Economic Opportunity are examined in this paper. It finds that, contrary to the literature on activist professionals, Legal Services was not dominated by lawyers with elite family and educational backgrounds or with prior commitments to political activism. The composition is heterogeneous in composition, and quite similar to the bar on a number of variables, especially those relating to educational background, political socialization, and parents' social status. The consequences of this heterogeneity for three intra-organizational variables are briefly examined. Findings indicate that lawyers who graduate from elite law schools or how were previously active in reform politics are somewhat more likely to be in activist local programs, but young, elite, or activist lawyers are much less likely to be directors of local programs and these lawyers tend to leave Legal Services earlier than other lawyers participating. The most striking effect of background variables is on length of service. Implications of findings for the redistribution of professional services are discussed. (Author/AM)