Guest Blog Archives - Page 2 of 3

Guest Blog: Legal Pro Bono at Salesforce

July 5, 2016

We at The PBEye are inspired every day by the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatories. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPBO Challenge® initiative, we are showcasing some of their projects and letting them inspire you too. At Salesforce**, giving back is part of our DNA. Through our 1-1-1 model of integrated philanthropy, all employees are given seven days of volunteer time off (VTO) that they can use toward any cause they are passionate about. The legal team actively participated in VTO events, using our hours to volunteer at organizations like SF Food Bank and

Guest Blog: More Free Legal Ed for Nonprofits in Ohio

May 24, 2016

On May 13, ACC Central Ohio Chapter (CO-ACC), United Way of Central Ohio (UWCO), CPBO, and Barnes & Thornburg*† hosted another in its series of free legal education programs for nonprofits in Columbus, Ohio. The program, started in 2013, was originally inspired by the Clinic in a Box® program. The presentation topics were Ohio’s laws on fundraising and the regulatory landscape for fundraising for nonprofits, as well as the business of fundraising for nonprofits. The speakers at this session were Veronica Bennu, managing counsel at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company** and Sera Koulabdara, the development officer at Make-a-Wish Foundation. The speakers each

Guest Blog: Pro Bono Legal Advice Opens the Tap to Provide Clean Water

March 28, 2014

March 22 marked the commemoration of World Water Day, an opportunity to focus public attention on critical issues relating to water. A key issue concerns the fact that 768 million people still do not have access to safe drinking water. Millions of people around the world are forced to choose between having to travel great distances to collect clean water or to drink water which is contaminated. Neither option is ideal. Children (and girls in particular) are often withdrawn from school to collect water for their families. And the consequences of drinking dirty water, as we already know, can lead

Guest Blog: Work in Progress – Pro bono and the In-house Counsel Population?

May 14, 2013

I have had the opportunity to serve on the Multijurisdictional Practice Task Force (a joint initiative of PBI and CPBO) for a little over a year. When the purpose of the Task Force was being explained to me, its mission sounded like an easy sell: help change states’ practice rules to allow in-house counsel operating on limited licenses to do pro bono. Most states have practice rules that allow in-house lawyers working locally but licensed in another jurisdiction to practice solely for their employers without going through the full bar process (“in-house counsel rules”), but many of those rules don’t

Guest Blog: Attorneys, Advocates, and Law Students Collaborate with Appleseed to Reimagine U.S. Immigration Courts

November 12, 2012

By Betsy Cavendish, Appleseed, and Malcolm Rich and Katy Welter, Chicago Appleseed Collaborating across firms, disciplines, and cities, a team of attorneys, advocates, and law students evaluated the federal Immigration Court system and recently released its findings in “Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line: Transformative Change for the Immigration Justice System.” The report is the product of a model approach to pro bono advocacy efforts, and work to implement its reforms has already begun. “Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line” grades the U.S. Immigration Court system’s response to recommendations from the team’s 2009 “Assembly Line Injustice” report. Pro bono attorney

Guest Blog: “Insurmountable Opportunities”

April 12, 2012

One of the speakers at the PBI Annual Conference this year offered a quote from the classic comic strip philosopher Pogo as an apt description of the current state of pro bono, “We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.” One of the greatest benefits of attending the Conference for me (for the first time), was the sense of instant community I had with the people I met — bright, energetic, dedicated professionals, all faced with the same set of insurmountable opportunities. When I signed on to attend the Conference, I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to get out of it.

Guest Blog: BNY Mellon’s Pro Bono Program

December 22, 2011

The Bank of New York Mellon recently launched its pro bono program. Learn more about it below. Why Global Pro Bono at BNY Mellon? When Jane Sherburne, BNY Mellon’s general counsel, asked me to chair a new Global Pro Bono Program 10 months ago, I didn’t hesitate. Jane has been a significant supporter of pro bono service, noting that it reflects BNY Mellon’s commitment to making our communities better places to live and work, and is fundamental to our team-oriented business culture and core values: trust, teamwork, client focus and outperformance. For perspective, in 2010, BNY Mellon and its employees around

Guest Blog: Deere Celebrates Giving Back to the Community

November 2, 2011

The Deere & Company** Global Law Services Group held its bi-annual Pro Bono and Community Service Celebration at Deere & Company’s Worldwide Headquarters in Moline, Ill., on Oct. 19. Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride was the event’s keynote speaker. The celebration’s theme, “Giving Back to the Community,” reflected the Global Law Services Group’s dedication to serving those in need of legal services and, more generally, Deere’s commitment to an environment in which employees are encouraged to engage in volunteerism for the betterment of their communities. In his keynote address, Chief Justice Kilbride encouraged participation in pro bono

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

Guest Blog: DLA Piper Associates Work in Guyana

May 26, 2011

The PBEye recently heard from a team of junior associates at DLA Piper* about their experiences doing pro bono in Guyana. Pro bono is a terrific way for associates and seasoned attorneys alike to gain skills and develop professionally. Here’s what our friends at DLA Piper, J. Hess, Nicole C. King, and Terry Smith, had to say: Attorneys involved with pro bono often share two common perspectives: a belief that we have an ethical obligation to provide pro bono services, and an understanding that pro bono offers unique opportunities to build valuable skills and broaden overall legal acumen. Junior associates, particularly those

Category: Guest Blog