PBI Signatory Showcase Interview with Kimball Electronics, Inc.**
Organized by the Orange County Public Law Center, Kimball Electronics has been actively involved in the Domestic Violence Assistance Program where they provide vital legal support, assisting clients in obtaining restraining orders to protect them from domestic violence. These efforts are crucial in empowering individuals to secure their safety and that of their loved ones. The department also collaborates with the Indiana Bar Foundation’s Indiana Legal Help walk-in clinics, both in-person and online. Both organizations work to improve legal assistance for people across the state of Indiana. And beyond direct client representation, the pro bono work extends to advocacy aimed at addressing broader societal injustices. The Kimball Electronics’ legal department is leaning into a mission of leveraging their legal expertise to promote equal access to justice and alleviate barriers faced by underserved communities.
We spoke with Doug Hass, Kimball Electronics Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Secretary.
Please tell us about the pro bono work in which Kimball Electronics’ volunteers participate.
Among others, our team has been volunteering with the Domestic Violence Assistance Program at the Superior Court of Orange County, California, organized by the Orange County Public Law Center and with the Indiana Bar Foundation’s Indiana Legal Help walk-in clinics in person and online. The Orange County Public Law Center is a pro bono law firm that has been providing access to justice for low-income and vulnerable residents since its inception in 1981. It offers free civil legal services including counseling, individual representation, community education, strategic litigation and advocacy aimed at challenging societal injustices. Over the past few years, PLC staff and volunteers provided 65,000 hours of free legal services in handling 4,500 cases annually. The estimated value of this work is roughly $60 million in just the past three years.
Indiana Legal Help was created in 2018 and is a program of the Indiana Bar Foundation, whose mission includes improving legal assistance for all Hoosiers. In both cases, these organizations impact the communities where members of our legal team live and work. We believe that one of the privileges of having a license to practice law is facilitating access to justice and to decrease the anxiety of those who cannot afford attorneys. This is particularly important in Kimball Electronics’ Indiana headquarters, where nearly all counties have fewer lawyers than the national average. The shortage is especially acute in Indiana’s rural and most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and in its public service sector. Outside of metropolitan Indianapolis counties, much of the state is an “attorney desert” with fewer than 1 attorney per 1,000 residents, and counties report having individuals sitting in jail for weeks without constitutionally required representation. Several Indiana counties have fewer than 5 lawyers total…including the judge and prosecutor!
What impact has this pro bono work made?
The most direct impact has been helping clients obtain restraining orders to protect themselves and their loved ones from domestic violence and obtain U and T visas for vulnerable and underserved immigrant and limited English proficient populations in obtaining legal services that they often cannot because of language and cultural barriers. Additionally, we have noticed broader social impacts of our pro bono work, such as improving equal access to justice and addressing poverty. For example, one client juggled three part-time jobs at different fast-food restaurants simultaneously. Overwhelmed and without guidance, she struggled to find time to seek help, feeling trapped in her situation despite her desperate need for change. Another client was facing online abuse from an ex-husband and, having recently moved out on her own, had no money to hire an attorney or to navigate how to obtain an order of protection or seek help from authorities. Their stories are just two of many. Through pro bono services, we directly enhance the lives of disadvantaged members of our communities.
We feel the positive impacts of helping others personally, but also benefit professionally. Engaging in pro bono work allows our attorneys to gain valuable experience in other practice areas, from litigation to family law, and, more importantly, enhances our client interaction skills and provides deeper connections to our legal community that can be hard to forge as in-house attorneys.
What would you say is the most challenging aspect of this type of work?
Our attorneys agree that the emotional impact is the most challenging aspect. As corporate attorneys, dealing with clients in difficult and emotional personal situations is not something we encounter daily. One of our attorneys who works with domestic violence victims often felt overwhelmed and emotionally attached to pro bono clients at first, feeling prolonged periods of sadness after volunteer clinics. Another of our attorneys who counsels immigrants reported feeling far more stress obtaining even a routine U visa for a client than any major M&A deal or high stakes litigation. Feeling empathy and confidence in your ability to help as an attorney without jeopardizing your own mental health is a balancing act. As a team, we have even greater respect for our legal brethren who work at organizations like Indiana Legal Services and the Orange County Public Law Center.
Is there any advice that you would give to other legal departments who want to become more focused on a certain pro bono issue?
Set a goal, make it mandatory, measure it, and reward it! Even solo in-house attorneys can carve out a few hours a month to answer questions on the ABA’s Free Legal Answers website or to attend a local clinic. Involve your law firm partners. Highlight it to your HR and ESG/sustainability leaders. Advocate for pro bono initiatives within your legal department and your company, raise awareness of the critical need for and value of pro bono work internally, and encourage other attorneys and staff in your organization and among your peers to get involved in this key area of corporate social responsibility.
Learn more about the inspiring work of our Challenge signatories.