dlipscomb, Author at Pro Bono Institute

Guest Blog: Attorneys, Advocates, and Law Students Collaborate with Appleseed to Reimagine U.S. Immigration Courts

November 12, 2012

By Betsy Cavendish, Appleseed, and Malcolm Rich and Katy Welter, Chicago Appleseed Collaborating across firms, disciplines, and cities, a team of attorneys, advocates, and law students evaluated the federal Immigration Court system and recently released its findings in “Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line: Transformative Change for the Immigration Justice System.” The report is the product of a model approach to pro bono advocacy efforts, and work to implement its reforms has already begun. “Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line” grades the U.S. Immigration Court system’s response to recommendations from the team’s 2009 “Assembly Line Injustice” report. Pro bono attorney

Pro Bono After Hurricane Sandy

November 8, 2012

Last week, millions of people on the East Coast were thrown into a state of disarray by Hurricane Sandy. Despite the destruction created by the storm, there were many inspiring stories of strangers helping each other. From individuals setting up charging stations for their neighbors without power, to restaurants providing free food to victims, the days following Hurricane Sandy have been filled with random acts of kindness. Naturally, times of crisis prompt many of us to take action to help those in need and lawyers are no exception. Attorneys in the tri-state area have been quick to respond to the

Honoring Our Veterans Through Pro Bono

November 7, 2012

Aimee Sherrod was only 25 years old when she was discharged from the Air Force. She was deployed three times from 2001-2005, serving in both Iraq and Pakistan, where she frequently saw the horrors of war firsthand. After being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Sherrod was separated from the military and was denied the military retirement benefits to which she was entitled. She married and started a family, but her young family suffered from the financial burden of purchasing healthcare, and they could not afford an essential surgery her son needed. In 2008, the National Veterans Legal Services Program

Pro Bono Me-Tooism

October 25, 2012

A few years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren E. Buffett created the Giving Pledge—to stimulate discussions about philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy and unleash a wave of “me-tooism” among others that would help solve our most pressing problems and bring about “the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.” Each person who chooses to pledge makes a public statement in support of a moral commitment to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes and serves as a role model to others, of all financial means and backgrounds. The concept has caught on quickly; Giving Pledge commitments have increased from

Solidarity through Pro Bono Work for Domestic Violence Survivors

October 18, 2012

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a period of increased solidarity in the U.S. for victims and survivors of domestic violence. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The PBEye notes the many ways attorneys utilize their unique skills to provide pro bono legal services to clients impacted by domestic violence. Support in Court for Protection and Restraining Orders Many domestic violence survivors seek from the court a protective or restraining order that defines and prohibits their abusers’ interaction with them and their loved ones. Without the assistance of counsel, obtaining an order of protection can be a difficult task.

Promoting a Barrier-Free and Inclusive World

October 18, 2012

Disability rights issues are fertile ground for lawyers, law firms, and legal departments looking to develop or expand their pro bono practice. The range of opportunities is broad and deep, with options for both small and large-scale projects and those that would appeal to litigators and non-litigators alike. Through a variety of pro bono engagements and partnerships with advocacy organizations, pro bono lawyers can have significant and meaningful impact while being at the forefront of cutting-edge legal efforts. More than 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, there is still more work to be done

The Power of Pro Bono

October 11, 2012

On September 28, Damon Thibodeaux, at the age of 38, was given the gift of life. Thibodeaux was wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of his “step-cousin” in 1996 and spent 15 years on death row in Louisiana. Grieving over his 14-year-old cousin’s death, he confessed to the crime during a grueling nine-hour interrogation in which police threatened to put him to death by lethal injection. He later recanted the confession, citing pressure from police and grief, but was sentenced to death in 1997. Despite his conviction, attorneys at Fredrikson & Byron P.A.*† believed in Thibodeaux’s innocence and agreed

Pro Bono Goes to the Supreme Court

October 4, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court began a new term Monday and its docket is full of especially weighty issues. On October 10, the Court will hear oral arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a significant challenge to the use of affirmative action in higher education, and one in which we at The PBEye are particularly interested because of its significant draw of pro bono work. Abigail Fisher, a white student who was denied admission, challenged the University of Texas’s admission policy as unconstitutional, arguing that the Court should overrule its opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), which held

VIDEO: Lippman Outlines New York Bar Admission Pro Bono Requirements

September 26, 2012

On September 19, New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced the details of New York’s new pro bono requirement for admission to the bar at a press conference at the New York University School of Law. Prospective attorneys will be required to perform 50 hours of pro bono service as condition of admittance, with the policy becoming effective January 1, 2013, and applying to law students entering their first and second years of school. The details came less than five months after Judge Lippman stunned the legal world with his announcement that New York would become the first state to

Pressed for Time?

September 20, 2012

We spend a lot of time thinking, talking, and writing about why lawyers, law firms, and legal departments should do pro bono work. In case you need yet another reason, check out this recent Harvard Business Review IdeaCast: Pressed for Time? Give Away Some of Yours. This brief podcast is an interview with Cassie Mogilner, assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, about her research and article “You’ll Feel Less Rushed If You Give Time Away.” After conducting a series of experiments, Mogilner and her colleagues discovered that spending time helping others leaves people feeling as

Author: dlipscomb