John Schultz and the Office of the General Counsel of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
Pro Bono Institute’s (PBI) annual LAURIE D. ZELON PRO BONO AWARD honors Judge Zelon’s Leadership and her singular contributions to enhancing justice for all. The 2016 award is given to Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary John Schultz and the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE), in recognition of their outstanding commitment to pro bono legal service.
HPE creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments, and society. Similarly, the HPE OGC is creating new possibilities for its attorneys and staff to have a positive and meaningful impact in their communities through a strong and continuing commitment to pro bono work.
A Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory, the HPE OGC, composed of nearly 900 professionals and attorneys, engages more than 50 percent of its global team in pro bono legal services. Established in 2007, the OGC’s pro bono program is both expansive and sustainable, adopting a strategy of thinking globally and acting locally. Committed local leaders on the ground at core sites have expanded the program into more than 20 countries, and engage in projects that include litigation, research, education, and transactional pro bono.
In 2015, more than 500 OGC employees donated more than 7,000 hours to pro bono projects and causes. In 2016, HPE has set equally ambitious goals for pro bono participation. Around the world, HPE OGC partners with legal organizations, law firms, and nonprofits to provide meaningful pro bono opportunities for its attorneys and non-attorneys alike. These efforts include helping veterans with appeals to obtain much needed benefits; staffing housing clinics to assist families facing eviction; providing corporate and employment law advice to nonprofits; working with international organizations to combat forced labor and human trafficking; and helping create a records expungement clinic that gives individuals the opportunity for gainful employment.
The lawyers and other professionals in the HPE OGC demonstrate their core commitment to pro bono each and every day and take pride in doing the right thing both for the company and for its communities. HPE believes that great companies, and great legal departments, have an obligation to give back, to lead by example, and to make communities better for everyone. As HP founder Dave Packard said, “The betterment of our society is not a job to be left to a few. It is a responsibility to be shared by all.” HPE shares in this responsibility by investing in access to justice through its continued commitment to pro bono work.