Corporate Pro Bono Archives - Page 17 of 19

VIDEO: How Effective is Your Pro Bono?

October 3, 2011

Pro bono work can make a big impact in the life of an individual or an entire community. But often, regardless of the scale, it is difficult to gauge effectiveness of the services rendered. And as pro bono work matures, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to measure its effectiveness across multiple fields. David Williams, CEO of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, talked to The PBEye about several topics including how creating common metrics for pro bono work being done by law firms, legal departments, and public interest groups can take pro bono to the next level. Williams, who

CPBO Spotlight On: Caterpillar Inc.

September 28, 2011

Caterpillar established a pro bono program in 2006, under the leadership of Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Jim Buda, who recognized the benefits of developing a pro bono program, both for the legal division and for the communities in which the company operates. In five short years, the legal division, which consists of more than 300 attorneys and staff in 26 offices worldwide, has provided thousands of hours of pro bono legal services to those in need. In addition, a Charter Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono ChallengeSM, the Caterpillar legal division has met the Challenge’s 50 percent

Predicting the Future by Shaping It

September 23, 2011

At a time when so there is so much uncertainty about the economy and the future, it may seem counterintuitive that PBI is seeing a growing trend in requests for assistance in undertaking strategic planning focused on pro bono from law firms and legal departments. Upon reflection, however, the growth in this part of PBI’s consultative services practice is not surprising. Given the profound shifts in law firm and legal department overall policies and practices, taking a long hard look at the firm or department’s pro bono program to ensure that it is complementary to and fully aligned with the

CPBO Spotlight On: LexisNexis Group

September 21, 2011

LexisNexis is a leading global provider of business information solutions to a wide range of professionals in numerous industries. Under the leadership of Ken Thompson, a staunch supporter of pro bono, the LexisNexis legal department has undertaken a number of impactful pro bono initiatives. Southern Africa Litigation Center In 2007, LexisNexis launched its first pro bono project, which offers support to the Southern Africa Litigation Center (SALC). SALC trains attorneys, supports human rights cases, and carries out other programs to advance the rule of law. In partnership with local lawyers and human rights NGOs, SALC identifies the specific constitutional and

Partnerships at Work: Ford and LAD

September 19, 2011

Now that you’ve read about the successful pro bono partnership developed by our friends at ExxonMobil and Hunton & Williams LLP*, The PBEye would like to share the story of another important collaboration between Ford Motor Company** and the Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD). Ford first partnered with LAD in March 2010 to pilot a food stamp clinic. The clinic seeks to assist the growing number of people living in poverty in Detroit, which recently exceeded 30 percent of the population, resulting in an overwhelming number of food stamp benefit cases being referred to government caseworkers. During the clinic,

ExxonMobil and Hunton & Williams Team Up

September 2, 2011

With care and planning, partnerships between and among legal departments, law firms, and legal service providers can be a useful way to pool resources, increase capacity, and share ideas to help a greater number of people in need. The PBEye loves to hear about successful pro bono partnerships, and we are excited to share their stories with you in a series of blogs in the coming months. The northern Virginia office of ExxonMobil Corporation and the McLean, Va., office of Hunton & Williams LLP* formed a partnership in 2009, tapping their combined resources to serve the northern Virginia community. As its

Planning Your In-House Pro Bono Budget

August 25, 2011

As the U.S. continues to learn, it’s important to think about budgets early and often. While many of us are still in summer mode, it is never too early to start thinking about your legal department’s 2012 pro bono budget. Many budgets are due by the end of the third quarter so that they can be discussed and, hopefully, approved by year end. End of third quarter is less than 40 days away. Has your department started thinking about it? As The PBEye previously reported, CPBO conducted an in-house pro bono benchmarking survey for 2010. Survey says! Nearly 46 percent of the legal departments that responded include

Collaborating to Serve Consumer Debtors

July 26, 2011

In response to the economic downturn, a group of legal departments and a law firm are collaborating to support a New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for Justice project dedicated to tackling issues facing consumer debtors. Lawyers from Prudential, AT&T**, Merck** and McCarter & English LLP* banded together to form Newark Legal Aid and Resource Clinic for Consumers (NLARCC), which provides legal assistance to an ever-increasing number of self-represented consumer debtors. Together, the group of lawyers has significantly increased capacity to address the uptick in consumer legal issues. The N.J. court system has been inundated with consumer-related cases, and the work of volunteer

VIDEO: Legal Services and You

July 14, 2011

As pro bono has grown and evolved over the years, partnerships among the various stakeholders regarding access to justice issues have become increasingly popular. Collaborations between law firms, corporate legal departments and legal services organizations have become more common as a way to pool resources and expertise for pro bono legal work. Now we are seeing even more involvement from government as various jurisdictions look to maximize often scarce resources for the administration of justice. The PBEye recently had a chance to speak with our friend Jim Sandman, president of the Legal Services Corporation, a federally established nonprofit designed to

CPBO Spotlight On: Verizon Communications

July 5, 2011

CPBO ChallengeSM Signatory Verizon Communications Inc. officially launched its pro bono program in late 2009. Already, the department has exceptionally high pro bono participation rates with attorneys and staff participating in offices across the United States. So far in 2011, nearly half of Verizon’s attorneys are participating. Under the program, the company’s more than 700 attorneys and staff are encouraged to volunteer a minimum of 25 hours per year. The department is fortunate to be under the leadership of a true pro bono devotee, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Randal Milch. The program is chaired by John Frantz, Verizon’s vice

Category: Corporate Pro Bono