Law Firm Pro Bono Archives - Page 31 of 36

Global Spotlight: Combating Human Trafficking

January 31, 2012

In recognition of the thousands of men, women and children who fall prey to human trafficking in the U.S. every year, January has been declared Human Trafficking and Slavery Awareness and Prevention Month. According to the Global Freedom Center: Modern slavery, or human trafficking, is the reprehensible practice of holding another in compelled service using whatever means necessary, be it physical or psychological. Anywhere between 12 [and] 27 million people are held in slavery around the world today – men, women, and children coerced into bonded labor, forced or sold into prostitution, held in domestic servitude, and enslaved in agricultural fields

Pro Bono Risk Management–Update

January 26, 2012

In October, in connection with the Maples v. Thomas oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court, The PBEye offered guidance on risk management and best practices that pro bono lawyers should consider implementing with regards to supervision of pro bono work and the treatment of pro bono matters when the attorney primarily responsible for the matter leaves the law firm or legal department. During our 2012 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., we’ll have the chance to explore in greater depth these particular pro bono quality control and risk management issues and steps you can take to address them. In case

Canada Embraces Medical-Legal Partnerships

January 23, 2012

Good legal help is hard to find. Particularly for the low-income parents of a sick child who pass countless hours in hospital waiting rooms and at their child’s bedside. Attorney Lee Ann Chapman told The Star: Having a sick child can bring about a domino effect. Families sometimes let important, practical issues slide because they’re so focused on their child’s health. Often they have no idea of their rights and have never had access to legal information. Sometimes they are quite desperate. Enter The Hospital For Sick Children (SickKids) and Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO), who’ve teamed up to deliver

Pro Bono and the Crisis in Indigent Defense

January 12, 2012

As The PBEye previously reported, many firms devote a great amount of pro bono time and resources to the defense of low-income individuals charged with crimes, often wrongfully. Inspiring recent examples by our Member firms and Challenge Signatories include: Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP* obtained a new trial for former death row inmate Erksine Johnson when a Tennessee appeals court vacated his 1985 felony murder conviction. The decision was a result of new evidence discovered by a Cleary team, made up of more than 25 firm lawyers, that over the past 15 years has spent at least 15,000 hours

Forced Marriage in the U.S.

January 3, 2012

Would it surprise you to learn that, every year in the U.S., thousands of women and girls are forced into marriages against their will? The recently released results of a national survey conducted by the Tahirih Justice Center revealed more than 3,000 known and suspected cases of forced marriage in the past two years, alone, and Tahirih Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro recently told Newsweek, “We’ve already learned enough in the survey to tell us we’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg.” In many of these cases, death threats were among the arsenal of tactics used by families to coerce

VIDEO: Strategic and Global Pro Bono

December 14, 2011

As we enter each new year, we really like to think about what our friends and supporters are working on so we can better serve them. The PBEye spoke to Madeleine Schachter, global director of corporate social responsibility for Baker & McKenzie LLP*, about what the firm is focusing on as pro bono continues to evolve. Check out the video below to hear Schachter’s comments on the future of pro bono. YouTube Link *denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®

Now Available: Best Practices for Pro Bono Committees

December 8, 2011

A well-functioning pro bono committee can solidify an institutional commitment to pro bono work and enhance a law firm’s pro bono performance. Ultimately, for a committee to be successful, it is essential that members communicate and function harmoniously, and that there is meaningful participation from group members. Through its research and consultative services, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project has amassed a wealth of information regarding pro bono committees. If your firm has decided to form a pro bono committee, or if you are looking for new ways to reinvigorate an established committee, consider the options and best practices for

It Gets Better

December 2, 2011

Approximately one in every five high school students is bullied, demoralizing young victims and endangering their lives. When schools fail to prevent bullying, the targets feel isolated, lonely, and depressed. Many cannot focus on their studies because they are haunted by fear. Sadly, suicides and attempted suicides are all too common. While many people assume that schools will protect their children, school officials are often reluctant to assume responsibilities beyond their core educational role. It can be difficult to gain officials’ cooperation to discuss how schools can manage bullying that can occur any time from a bus ride in the

GE, Arnold & Porter, CLC Partner for Kids

November 11, 2011

In the summer of 2010, representatives from General Electric Company** and Arnold & Porter LLP*combined forces to help address some of the issues facing at-risk youth in the Washington, D.C. area. The team met with the Children’s Law Center (CLC), an organization that provides free legal counsel to low-income children in the D.C. area, to formulate a plan. After meeting with CLC, the organizations decided to focus their efforts on increasing access to special education resources. Washington, D.C. has an exceptionally high prevalence of disability among children, with more than 12,000 children who have disabilities requiring special education accommodations. Many schools

Pro Bono to Honor Those Who Serve

November 10, 2011

“In an unbroken line of valor stretching across more than two centuries, our veterans have charged into harm’s way, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice, to protect the freedoms that have blessed America. Whether Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard, they are our Nation’s finest citizens, and they have shown the heights to which Americans can rise when asked and inspired to do so.” — President Barack Obama (2010) This Veterans Day, Americans will recognize the sacrifices of the country’s veterans with parades, memorials, and tokens of appreciation. Providing pro bono services to eligible veterans is a unique opportunity for lawyers

Category: Law Firm Pro Bono