Corporate Pro Bono Archives - Page 18 of 19

CPBO Spotlight On: Royal Bank of Canada

June 28, 2011

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has been a pro bono leader among Canadian companies. RBC’s success is in large part due to the support of Executive Vice President and General Counsel David Allgood. Under his supervision, in 2007, RBC adopted a formal pro bono policy and its program has continued to flourish. With approximately 150 lawyers worldwide, the legal department has provided a wide variety of work for nonprofit organizations, including assistance with incorporation, governance, charitable tax status, employment and real estate issues, legal risk assessments, and the development of policies. In addition, RBC is involved in a variety of impactful

Pro Bono and Employee Engagement

June 16, 2011

Last Friday, our friends at Deloitte* celebrated their 12th annual IMPACT Day, a national day of service during which employees devote the day to volunteerism. More than 50,000 employees participated this year, volunteering at more than 800 events nationwide. Some of these volunteer projects were skills-based and allowed employees to use their business knowledge and expertise in order to help a good cause—in other words, they were pro bono projects. IMPACT Day encourages Deloitte employees to contribute to their communities, but the benefits don’t stop there. Each year, Deloitte conducts its IMPACT Survey to explore trends and issues in corporate philanthropy. Deloitte’s 2011

In the Windy City, Lawyers Give Back

June 13, 2011

Chicago in-house attorneys embodied the city’s old motto “I Will” on June 7, when they turned out in force to provide pro bono legal services to local nonprofit organizations during a Clinic in a BoxSM program, co-hosted by Corporate Pro Bono, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Navistar, and the Chicago Association of Corporate Counsel Chapter (ACC Chicago). 60 members of ACC Chicago provided legal assistance to 14 local nonprofit organizations. These organizations provide a broad range of services and serve a population of more than 42,800 low-income and under-served Chicagoans. CPBO’s off-the-shelf Clinic in a BoxSM model provides in-house attorneys

Guest Blog: Social Media And Pro Bono

June 8, 2011

Considering my 20+ years of law practice, I might be an old fogey, but I’m also an “early adopter” – not a techie by any stretch, but I enjoy using new technologies. I’ve been on Facebook forever, and I’m closing in on 2000 Tweets. I first used social media for personal fun – keeping up with old friends, fomenting minor revolutions with political rantings, but began to realize how social media could be a powerful tool. Everybody needs a website – people tend not to be interested in any organization without one. When my firm got involved with the fabulous

Disaster Relief: Lawyers Pitching In

June 6, 2011

Mother Nature is wreaking havoc across the United States and around the world. Images of disaster-stricken towns and cities feature prominently and regularly in recent news programming. Naturally, these images of desperation ignite in all of us a desire to take action. Lawyers are no exception. In the wake of a seemingly endless string of floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes, lawyers are interested in providing pro bono assistance to the victims. And as always, The PBI can offer thoughts on the many ways for attorneys to lend a hand. Staffing Clinics and Hotlines Staffing clinics and hotlines are time-limited ways for lawyers to

Walmart to Launch Signature Medical-Legal Partnership

May 5, 2011

A new player enters the world of in-house pro bono with a bang. The Walmart* legal department will launch a medical-legal partnership (MLP) project with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Legal Aid of Arkansas this spring. A relatively unchartered arena in in-house pro bono, Walmart’s MLP will be a signature project for its legal department, and will include both onsite and virtual pro bono opportunities for Walmart lawyers and legal staff. Onsite, legal professionals become a part of the healthcare team. Doctors will refer patients to lawyers for legal assistance when appropriate. Just as a pediatrician refers a patient to a radiologist for

Guest Blog: Pro Bono and Your Partner Retreat

May 3, 2011

For a relatively new Pro Bono Director like me, the opportunity to present at the annual McCarter & English* partner retreat would ordinarily be an invaluable time to educate partners about our growing pro bono program. The only wrinkle: our 2011 retreat’s theme of “business development.” After a moment of panic (“I am a public interest lawyer, what in the heck do I know about business development?”), I realized that this theme would push me to educate the partnership about how a meaningful pro bono program can contribute to the bottom line — an important topic in these challenging economic

VIDEO: Pro Bono Potential in Virginia

May 2, 2011

In the most recent edition of The National Law Journal, PBI President and CEO Esther F. Lardent writes about multijurisdictional practice issues through the lens of two states that have made progressive decisions that impact in-house pro bono. Lardent’s column examines the rules in many states that “handcuff [attorneys] with restrictions that are unnecessary, insulting and unjustifiable in the face of the crisis in access to justice,” while making the case for more freedom for in-house attorneys to do pro bono work. As you may have read here on The PBEye, last month the Virginia Supreme Court removed restrictions on pro bono practice

Getting Others Involved in Pro Bono

April 26, 2011

In-house pro bono is not just for lawyers. A recent benchmarking survey published by CPBO found that nearly 92 percent of responding legal departments involve non-lawyers in pro bono work. Aside from managing the administration of pro bono work and serving on pro bono committees, paralegals and other staff play an important role in serving in-house pro bono clients. Involving non-lawyers in pro bono activities increases the department’s capacity to provide legal services. Quite simply, more hands on deck means that more legal needs are met. Non-lawyers often possess unique skills useful in the provision of pro bono legal service. For example, some

Virginia is for Pro Bono Lovers

April 19, 2011

The PBEye was delighted to see that, effective April 15, 2011, the Virginia Supreme Court approved an amendment to its rules, removing restrictions that limited certified in-house counsel’s ability to provide pro bono work to deserving and needy clients in Virginia. Now, certified in-house attorneys may provide pro bono service, subject only to the conditions that apply to all Virginia attorneys – the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct. This change empowers the more than 800 certified in-house attorneys in Virginia to provide desperately needed assistance to low-income individuals and organizations. We hope this amendment will serve as an example for other

Category: Corporate Pro Bono