Category: Corporate Pro Bono

Since its inception, CPBO has worked closely with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and many local chapters of the organization on pro bono matters.   ACC currently has 54 chapters, which represent more than 30,000 in-house counsel around the globe.  ACC Chapters are engaged in improving access to justice in a number of ways, including coordinating pro bono projects for their members, supporting local legal services organizations, developing important connections between in-house volunteers and pro bono opportunities, and expressing the voice of the in-house bar on access to justice related issues, such as authorized in-house counsels’ right to practice pro

Nearly 50% of the legal departments that responded to CPBO’s 2010 benchmarking survey provide pro bono legal services to the elderly.  The following highlights a few of the many projects The PBEye has identified, in which in-house counsel have dedicated their time to assist elderly clients in need. Wills Clinics for the Elderly Many legal departments participate in clinics that assist with end-of-life planning. Among them, Caterpillar, Inc.** often partners with an outside firm and a legal services provider to host clinics in its headquarters in Peoria, Ill., as well as in Chicago, where attorneys aid the elderly in preparing

November 20 is Universal Children’s Day! Established by the United Nations to promote the welfare of children worldwide, this day commemorates the Assembly’s 1959 adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.  In honor of Universal Children’s Day, The PBEye notes the many ways in-house attorneys improve the lives of children by providing them with quality pro bono legal services. Providing Legal Services for Immigrant Children Unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. often face unimaginably dire situations, regardless of whether they fled here or were coerced for forced labor.

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.

Innovation in the San Francisco Bay Area extends well beyond developing the latest technology, as evidenced by the Bay Area Corporate Pro Bono Co-op (Co-op).  Comprised of in-house legal departments, with support from DLA Piper LLP (US)*†, the Co-op is dedicated to enabling and supporting in-house pro bono and its member companies.  Since August 2009, the Co-op has provided volunteer opportunities for its members at more than 380 clinic events dedicated to preventing homelessness. Additionally, the Co-op has recently expanded its breadth to include providing legal assistance to Bay Area domestic violence victims. Conceived by Jeff Hyman of Apple Inc.,

Formal in-house pro bono programs have undergone a vast transformation, evolving from a mere handful of programs 15 years ago into the hundreds of programs that define the field today. In fact, these programs have advanced so much that there are now cross-department acknowledgements of accomplishment. While it was not long ago that such a notion would have seemed impossible given the landscape of in-house pro bono, on July 17 the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Chicago Bar Association presented Steven S. Fus, assistant general counsel of alliances & legal administration for United Air Lines, Inc., a subsidiary of United