Search
Donate
Search
Donate

Author: dlipscomb

Global CSR + Pro Bono

September 8, 2015

One of the ways to increase pro bono activities within in-house legal departments is to closely align them with the company’s ethos and its global corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. One such example of the complementary nature of Global CSR and pro bono programs is the work done by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), which have garnered numerous awards and recognition for the company. IBM’s legal department’s pro bono activities routinely match with the company’s CSR initiatives through such programs as IBM’s employee Corporate Service Corps and On Demand Community. In 2011, IBM celebrated its 100-year anniversary by encouraging employees

Read More »

In Honor of Labor Day

September 3, 2015

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Day is just around the corner and as we say goodbye to summer, let’s pause to reflect on the meaning of this holiday and celebrate the vast contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. As we’ve previously reported, pro bono lawyers have a critical role to play in protecting workers’ rights and there is still more to be done to secure fair wages, benefits, schedules, and hours, safe conditions, and equality for all in

Read More »

Katrina and the Legacy of Pro Bono

August 27, 2015

This month marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the devastating toll it took on the Gulf Coast. The legal profession had a key role to play in helping those affected by the storm rebuild their lives and their communities in both the immediate aftermath and the long-term. Residents of New Orleans and the surrounding areas were confronted by a slew of critical legal needs in the wake of the hurricane, but the region lacked the capacity to adequately meet the demand. Pro bono lawyers and law students from around the country stepped in, both remotely and by travelling to

Read More »

Partnership Develops Tools to Aid Judges in South Asia

August 26, 2015

South Asia has suffered from a significant amount of terrorist violence over the years. For example, 38 percent of terrorist incidents in 2013 occurred in South Asia, according to the Global Center on Cooperative Security. In 2014, according to the U.S. State Department, more than 60 percent of terrorist attacks took place in just five countries (Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Nigeria), of which three are in South Asia; nearly 6,700 people died from terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India that year. In recognition of the need to build expertise in the adjudication of terrorism-related cases, the Global Center

Read More »

What’s Your Pro Bono Leadership Style?

August 20, 2015

Looking to assess your strengths and weaknesses as a pro bono leader? Check out this Harvard Business Review tool that analyzes how leaders’ styles mesh with their teams and organizational cultures. Are you empathetic, with a knack for team-building and talent-spotting? Then perhaps you’re a collaborator. If you’re an independent and creative problem solver, you might be a composer. Choose from a list of eight leadership archetypes the ones that best describe your “go-to” and secondary pro bono leadership styles to get immediate feedback and a thorough analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, and potential blind spots. For additional resources to

Read More »

Mobilizing Pro Bono

August 11, 2015

In the spring of 2013, two weeks after attending an immigration law training session hosted by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld*†, AT&T Inc.** volunteers put their skills to use by participating in a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival mega-clinic. At the clinic, set in a local Dallas high school that serves a large immigrant population, AT&T attorneys counseled more than 250 immigrants regarding eligibility and in filling out detailed applications. The clinic was designed as a one-day project; however, one client who needed more assistance stuck out to Belinda Marin Boling, a co-chair of AT&T’s southwest region’s pro bono

Read More »

Paying it Forward: Why Investing in Legal Aid Makes Economic Sense

August 6, 2015

The pro bono community understands that providing assistance to those in need of civil legal aid is a profound public-private partnership. Access to justice is a core value, but is it fiscally prudent? In other words, what is the economic impact of funding legal services? Diverse jurisdictions (i.e., Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia) have commissioned studies to measure just this statistic, and they have yielded some remarkable results. According to a recent study entitled “Economic Impact of Civil Legal Aid Organizations in Tennessee,” a one-dollar investment in legal services

Read More »

Looking for Transactional Pro Bono Opportunities?

July 30, 2015

As part of the “Best of the 2015 PBI Annual Conference” webinar series, PBI recently hosted “Pro Bono for Entrepreneurial Clients: Small Businesses and Social Entrepreneurs.” The following panel of pro bono leaders explored best practices for providing pro bono representation to small businesses and social entrepreneurs: Judah Ariel, Sidley Austin*† Jennifer DaSilva, Start Small Think Big, Inc. Regina Hopkins, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center Cynthia Weiss, Latham Watkins*† A growing number of transactional pro bono opportunities involve eligible small businesses and social entrepreneurs and much of this work requires the specialized skills of transactional attorneys. The panelists shared recent

Read More »