Law Firm Pro Bono Archives - Page 30 of 36

Honoring Their Memory

April 19, 2012

Today is Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Imagine your youth and family destroyed by the Nazis and now your old age is tormented by the crushing burden of poverty. This is the reality for a great number of survivors worldwide who live below the poverty line. In May 2008, Bet Tzedek launched the Holocaust Survivors Justice Network in response to two German government sponsored payment programs. The Network partners pro bono attorneys with Jewish social service providers to provide free legal assistance to eligible Holocaust

“IP”ro Bono

April 13, 2012

Attendees at the PBI Annual Conference last month had the opportunity to learn about an exciting new pilot initiative called the Minnesota LegalCorps Inventor Assistant Program. John Calvert from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Candee Goodman from Lindquist & Vennum PLLP*† were on hand to speak about the program and educate attendees as to how this can be a resource for IP lawyers looking to do pro bono work, while helping jumpstart the U.S. economy. Independent inventors fuel innovation that can inspire inventions and create new businesses and jobs. However, they often need legal help they

A “True Champion of Equality” Gone Too Soon

March 23, 2012

The PBEye was saddened to hear of the passing of John Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Payton was a lifelong champion for equal rights and justice. Going back to his time at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP*, he embraced pro bono as a critical part of his practice and used his influence to encourage colleagues at the firm to promote pro bono work. Tributes have come pouring in in his memory, including President Obama: “A true champion of equality, [Payton] helped protect civil rights in the classroom and at the ballot box.

From Annual Conference . . . to Major Litigation

March 22, 2012

At the 2010 Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference, we were pleased to highlight a then month-old, cutting-edge initiative of The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network (LMSPN). Millions of distressed homeowners are vulnerable targets to devious and sometimes criminal third-party scammers and con artists. Underwater homeowners, desperate to keep their homes, are at risk from so-called “loan modification specialists,” some of whom are the very people who previously peddled subprime loans. They employ various scams with disastrous consequences for homeowners. While waiting for the promised relief, homeowners not only lose their money but often

VIDEO: 26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story

March 20, 2012

In November, PBI was honored to hear from Dewey Bozella at the 2011 PBI Annual Dinner in New York. Bozella, an amateur boxer who was wrongly imprisoned for 26 years, was exonerated in 2008 with the hard work of pro bono attorneys at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP*. Bozella subsequently received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and won his first and only professional boxing match. Now, Bozella’s story, and the hard work of WilmerHale, is the subject of an hour-long documentary by ESPN Films. We at The PBEye, are happy to see this kind of attention paid

Large Firms Embracing Social Media

March 19, 2012

In a previous post on The PBEye, our friend Lisa W. Borden, pro bono shareholder at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C.* wrote about the importance of social media to a law firm’s business and gave some tips on how firms can be savvier in promoting their pro bono work online. Now, a recent article in The Washington Post depicts a growing trend. “Leaders at several top 100 firms are for the first time hiring full-time social media specialists to manage firms’ LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, and many more are making a concerted effort to prioritize social media outreach

Creative Initiative Helps LA’s Homeless

March 16, 2012

In Los Angeles County, a coalition of nonprofit, business, and city leaders have found permanent housing for more than 3,000 veterans and chronically homeless people. It is the result of a new initiative called Home for Good, a project that plans to end long-term homelessness nationwide by 2016. This unique effort was launched by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles in partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. The Los Angeles Times reported, “More than 100 community leaders and organizations — including the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, several cities and housing authorities, law enforcement officials

CPBO Spotlight On: Aetna Inc.

March 13, 2012

Aetna, the recipient of the 2009 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award, has a longstanding tradition of pro bono service. Among the first to do so, the legal department adopted a formal pro bono program in 1981. The program’s longevity is due in large part to consistent support from general counsel over the years, including current Senior Vice President and General Counsel Bill Casazza. Connecticut Lawyers’ Legal Aid to the Elderly Since the program’s inception, Aetna’s lawyers have handled hundreds of cases in the greater Hartford, Conn., area dealing with elder law issues such as estate planning, Medicaid, Medicare, landlord-tenant disputes

Pro Bono Gives Second Chances

March 8, 2012

What is life like for ex-offenders when they are released back into society after serving their sentences? The PBEye recently saw a documentary which answers this question. Graduate film students at The George Washington University Documentary Center explored this issue in the film “Released to Life”, which was named “Washington’s Best Film” in D.C.’s inaugural documentary competition. The filmmakers shed some light on programs that are helping convicts rehabilitate and which services are sorely lacking for those leaving prison without a job, home, and everyday life skills to aid the transition. Ex-offenders face a myriad of obstacles including legal barriers, such

Pro Bono as a Prelude to Public Service

February 9, 2012

The New York Law Journal recently ran an interview with New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman that caught our attention. When asked about the “roots” of his interest in public service, he circled back to his pro bono experiences while in private practice. Schneiderman recalled that he was “completely absorbed” in pro bono work when he was at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, now K&L Gates*† working on, among other things, opposing public transit fare increases as a matter of civil rights, assisting eligible community groups and block associations that were fighting drug dealers in their midst, and assisting womens’ health

Category: Law Firm Pro Bono