At the suggestion of a number of law firm and in-house leaders, the Pro Bono Institute is convening a series of Regional Leadership Convocations designed to promote discussion and collaboration among legal departments and law firms to improve access to justice through pro bono service.

In doing so, PBI is seeking your perspective, expertise, ideas, and creative suggestions on how, working together, we can make a significant difference for those whose lives have been ever more impacted by the depth of the current crisis in access to justice.

Mark your calendars now!  Regional Leadership Convocations will take place throughout the year in the following locations:

• Midwest in Minneapolis -- December 8, 2011 (Midwest states include IL, IN, IA, KN, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI)
• Southeast in Atlanta -- January 31, 2012 (Southeast states include AL, AK, FL, GA, KY, LA, MI, NC, SC, TN)
• Mid-Atlantic in Washington, D.C. -- May 2012 (Mid-Atlantic states include DE, MD, VA, PA, DC, WV)
• Northeast in New York -- June 2012 (Northeast states include CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT)
• Southwest in Dallas -- July 2012 (Southwest states include AZ, TX, NM, OK)
• West in San Francisco -- September 2012 (West states include CA, CO, HI, NV, UT)
• Northwest in Seattle -- September 2012 (Northwest states include AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Deep cuts in funding and staff at legal services and public interest programs, the courts, and other fora have rendered the pro bono service of large firms and legal departments even more critical. The crisis in legal services is not new, but its urgency in the face of funding cuts and the economic downturn has become even more profound. What must be new is our response. Pro bono alone will not solve all of the justice system’s problems, but it is an important part of the equation. The current crisis demands the most creative and efficient solutions we can devise, including maximizing and improving pro bono assistance by major law firms and legal departments.

Some of the issues/topics that will be addressed at the convocations include:

• How have the changes in your firm/department impacted your ability to work on broader legal issues affecting low-income and disadvantaged clients?
• What are some of the obstacles to pro bono arising from changes in large firm/in-house practice? Opportunities? What new pro bono approaches are you using? What is working well and what is not? How are you collaborating with others to make a difference?
• What role should legal departments and large firms, given their stature and human capital, play in addressing the crisis in legal services, the courts, and our justice system?
• How can and should the current system for distributing and handling pro bono work be rethought and restructured to streamline pro bono service, expand the number of clients served, and provide the most efficient and highest quality help? How can PBI best help and support that effort?

These and many other topics will be addressed at the Regional Convocations. Join leaders from legal departments and major firms for these kick-off meetings that we anticipate will generate new approaches, expanded partnerships, and transformative justice.

The Pro Bono Institute will synthesize and circulate the learning from each convocation and use the information and ideas generated to refocus our delivery of consultative services, training, research, and pro bono best practices that enhance access to justice. At the inception of the Pro Bono Institute, we conducted a series of regional meetings that provided the information and innovations that are now at the heart of law firm and in-house pro bono practice. It is time to renew the dialogue and to take a fresh look in a different environment at the future of pro bono.