Law Firm Pro Bono Archives - Pro Bono Institute

A First: Law Firm Pro Bono Annual Hours Exceed Five Million

June 13, 2019

Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project has issued its 2018 Report on the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Initiative. Firms reported performing a total of 5,070,533 hours of pro bono work in 2018 – an increase over 2017. This is the first time signatories have collectively exceeded the 5 million hours mark since the implementation of the Challenge in 1995. The Challenge Report examines the pro bono performance of firms that are signatories to PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge initiative during the 2018 calendar year. Signatories have committed to contribute 3 or 5 percent of their annual billable hours (or,

Listening to Our Pro Bono Clients

May 21, 2019

“Recommending that law firms seek client feedback has become so commonplace and widespread in the industry that the advice is almost clichéd.” Jim Pagliaro Client relations and client feedback have become standard operating procedures on the business side of large law firms. Does the pro bono program adhere to the same values and follow the same standards? Let’s explore the variety of ways that listening to our pro bono clients can improve our delivery of pro bono services, enhance the professional development of firm attorneys, and have a lasting effect on the individuals and communities served. Assuaging Your Clients’ Fears

Nourishing Bodies and Communities Through Pro Bono

January 25, 2019

“Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.” – Jacques Diouf As we recover from another holiday season full of celebratory meals and parties, many of us are re-committing to healthy eating. Healthy eating, however, isn’t always just a matter of choice (or willpower)! In an era of high food prices and food deserts, sustainable access to nutrition in low-income communities has become a heightened concern. The epidemic of diet-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity points to the urgent need for food justice and improving access to nutritious food. Although programs such as public

Advancing Right to Counsel in Housing

December 20, 2018

Housing is a fundamental human right, yet the United States does not guarantee a right to counsel for individuals fighting to protect the roof over their heads. This means low-income tenants face a high risk of unfavorable outcomes in housing court, including wrongful evictions, simply because they are ill-equipped to defend themselves in eviction proceedings. In several jurisdictions, advocates are organizing to improve the status quo by securing a right to counsel in housing eviction cases. These efforts present unique opportunities for pro bono lawyers. New York. In New York City, there are 230,000 eviction cases or other proceedings brought against

Pro Bono and the Death of the Billable Hour

September 27, 2018

How should we treat our pro bono hours? Traditionally, as an incentive and motivator for attorneys to participate in pro bono, the gold standard was for law firms to treat time spent on pro bono matters the same as time spent on billable matters. At firms with billable hour requirements, pro bono matters would count towards reaching hourly goals. However, we have recently seen a trend of firms of moving away from the billable hour as a tool to evaluate performance of attorneys by either minimizing their importance or doing away with billable hours altogether. For firms that are distancing

When Skills Meet Needs

August 17, 2018

A recent Stanford University-led study found that a majority of adults over the age of 50 highly value “prosocial” behaviors, actions that are positive, caring, helpful and of benefit to others. The study also found that one third of older adults exhibit a need for a purpose that is beyond themselves. This one-third equates to more than 34 million people who dedicate their time to addressing the needs of others and making the world a better place. As a benefit, those who engage in prosocial behaviors reported a more positive outlook on life and positive effects on health. Like the Stanford’s study,

The Numbers Are In!

August 16, 2018

The Law Firm Pro Bono Project recently published its Report on the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® which found that 129 firms collectively demonstrated increased totals in pro bono hours, average hours per attorney, average pro bono percentage, and attorney participation rates. In 2017, signatories reported performing 4,988,525 hours or pro bono work, the largest annual amount since the inception of the Challenge Report in 1995. The annual Report examines the pro bono activities of signatories to the Challenge which serves as a unique and inspirational standard for law firms. In a time when threats to the rule of the law, uncertainty,

Pro Bono at the Border and Beyond

June 25, 2018

Lawyers are stepping up to meet a need once again, as the pro bono community has been mobilizing on the behalf of those in DHS custody along the border. There has been an amazing response by pro bono lawyers to address issues from family detention to reunification, arising from the separation of families at the United States’ borders. PBI reached out to Ellyn Josef of Vinson & Elkins*† and Karen Grisez of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson*† to discuss their work at the border and beyond and how others can get involved. Where and what is the greatest need? KG: The greatest need

Salary Wars and Law Firm Pro Bono

June 13, 2018

Here we go again. In early June, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy*† announcedthat it was increasing starting salaries to $190,000. (Law firms made significant changes to the associate compensation scale in 2007, just prior to the Great Recession, and in 1999, in advance of the dot-com crash.) Predictably, Milbank’s move triggered similar raises with firms announcing matching (or more generous) compensation scales, even raising the salaries for their summer associates who just arrived from law schools. This pattern may continue, as “salary wars” are once again being waged at major law firms across the United States. As of now, decisions about compensation are still

Loaned Lawyers: A Win-Win-Win

April 26, 2018

Want to make a meaningful difference and improve access to justice? Looking for new ideas for professional development? Are you interested in new pro bono opportunities? A rotation or externship program may be the solution. Also known as secondments, an externship or rotation is when a law firm “loans” a lawyer to an outside organization. The attorney will typically work in a legal services, public interest, government, or other host organization full-time while still employed at their law firm. On the Pro Bono Happy Hour, we spoke with Amy Barasch, Susie Hoffman, and Becca Naylor about how loaned lawyer programs

Category: Law Firm Pro Bono