Corporate Pro Bono Archives - Page 8 of 19

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

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

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

Chief Legal Officers Speak Out on Pro Bono

July 17, 2015

Chief legal officers have been at the forefront of the incredible growth of in-house pro bono. Many have publicly emphasized the importance of engaging in pro bono not just for their own legal departments but for every lawyer. At the 2014 PBI Annual Dinner, Randy Milch, former general counsel and current executive vice president and strategic policy advisor, Verizon Communications Inc.**, shared why pro bono service is important and spoke about the tremendous need for attorneys to volunteer and become evangelists for pro legal services. In his remarks, Milch, acknowledging that more than 80 percent of the legal needs of

Video: Why Do Pro Bono? Michael Howson, AOL Inc.

July 2, 2015

Michael Howson, assistant general counsel, AOL Inc.**, explains how pro bono work creates a sense of balance between his day-to-day corporate responsibilities and his desire to make an immediate impact in his community. YouTube Link ** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory

Benchmarking In-House Pro Bono: Liability Insurance

June 23, 2015

What are some of the ways that your legal department can obtain professional liability insurance for pro bono engagement? Which sources of coverage are most popular? The most recent CPBO Benchmarking Report answers these questions and more! There is a variety of malpractice insurance coverage options available for in-house counsel and legal departments engaging in pro bono, including adding an endorsement to an existing policy or purchasing a standalone policy, and many departments access a combination of options to ensure coverage. According to the 2014 Benchmarking Report, the majority of responding legal departments elect to partner with a legal services

Liberia, the Magna Carta, and the Rule of Law

June 17, 2015

On June 15, thousands of people from around the world descended on a field in Runnymede in the United Kingdom to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Although the Magna Carta was not the first time a monarch agreed to respect the rights and liberties of others, it went on to become an icon for the revolutionary concepts of due process and the rule of law. As British Prime Minister David Cameron noted at the commemoration, “Think of South Africa – of that courtroom in Rivonia. As Nelson Mandela stood in the dock, looking at

In-House Pro Bono in the News… Again!

June 9, 2015

Two more legal teams recently caught the attention of The PBEye when The National Law Journal (NLJ) released its Chicago Legal Departments of the Year Awards: Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), which was named as department of year, and McDonald’s Corporation**, recipient of top honors for pro bono. Among the many reasons ADM was selected, NLJ noted the department’s up-and-coming pro bono program. When ADM General Counsel Cameron Findlay joined the company in mid-2013, the department had no pro bono program to speak of. Since then, Findlay has prioritized pro bono and called upon members of ADM’s newly formed law

Video: Why Do Pro Bono? Larry Bennett, Intel

June 3, 2015

Do you remember what inspired you to become an attorney? This week, we hear from Larry Bennett, patent attorney, Intel Corporation**, as he describes how using various practice skills on pro bono cases remind him of why he decided to practice law. YouTube Link ** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory

In-House Pro Bono: Kids in Foster Care

June 2, 2015

National Foster Care Month has just concluded, but the unmet legal needs of the more than 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S. continue on, as do pro bono efforts to help address those needs. Such efforts include helping the more than 100,000 foster care children and families seeking adoption each year navigate those proceedings and providing the more than 23,000 children who age-out each year with legal and financial advice. The PBEye previously reported some of this work by law firms and legal services organizations. In-house counsel have also played an important role. In 2004, Pfizer Inc.** co-launched

Category: Corporate Pro Bono