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The fundamental problem is society itself. There is a culture of not wanting to pay for someone else's ability to do something unless they are in real trouble. Take financial services, yes I know they are a bunch of crooks but there are times when you need expert knowledge and there is always someone who is willing to run away with the advice without paying, no different to any other form of theft such as Section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006. I have a case where the lawyer agreed fees in a Section 106 case and when he found out how easy it was for me he decided his client didn't want to pay the full amount and offered £100 for my time.

Do pro bono work if you want to not because some idiot thinks it might change public perception, it might make matters worse if you spend too much time confirming the assumption that the media places in the minds of the great unwashed in that everything in life is free these days and ultimately convincing people they don't have to pay lawyers.