Law Firm Pro Bono Archives - Page 33 of 36

Russia’s Pro Bono Revolution

September 8, 2011

Until a few years ago, pro bono was a largely unfamiliar concept in Russia. According to an article in The Moscow Times, Russia’s recent pro bono revolution comes at an opportune time when Russian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are in dire need of legal support: The legal environment for NGOs has become more challenging. New registration requirements and complex tax regulations have added a heavy burden to NGO operations, and securing access to affordable legal support is now critical to strengthening civil society. It is here that both international and local firms can have the greatest impact. Over the past few years, pro bono lawyers from Clifford Chance and other Russia-based law firms have

ExxonMobil and Hunton & Williams Team Up

September 2, 2011

With care and planning, partnerships between and among legal departments, law firms, and legal service providers can be a useful way to pool resources, increase capacity, and share ideas to help a greater number of people in need. The PBEye loves to hear about successful pro bono partnerships, and we are excited to share their stories with you in a series of blogs in the coming months. The northern Virginia office of ExxonMobil Corporation and the McLean, Va., office of Hunton & Williams LLP* formed a partnership in 2009, tapping their combined resources to serve the northern Virginia community. As its

Pro Bono Benchmarking

August 31, 2011

In our surveys of large law firms, PBI has been delighted to discover that the performance benchmark associated with our Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® – 3 or 5 percent of total billable hours – is the goal now used by the majority of those firms. In other words, the Challenge benchmark is now the gold standard for pro bono performance among that important segment of the legal profession. Recent developments show that the Challenge goals are now increasingly being viewed as the industry standard for the legal profession as a whole. The goal was recently cited in a New

Challenge Firm Partner: Pro Bono “Meaningful and Fulfilling”

August 18, 2011

Arnold & Porter LLP*, along with Archer & Greiner, the Brennan Center, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, is leading a pro bono project to challenge a newly enacted zoning law in Bridgewater, N.J., which was designed to block the development of a proposed mosque in the town. Arnold & Porter Partner Peter J. Zimroth spoke to 200 Muslim supporters of the Al Falah Center, and The New York Law Journal recently published his remarks. Zimroth speaks of an “evident injustice being done” to block the mosque’s construction, when there are 18 houses of worship in the

Global Spotlight: Elephant Energy

August 17, 2011

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” Light, and pro bono service, we’d like to add. This week, The PBEye spied a pro bono empowered initiative, Elephant Energy, that quite literally drives out darkness from rural villages across Namibia by distributing sustainable energy technologies. Namibia lacks the resources to meet the energy needs of its rural population. Daily livelihood activities are rendered unsafe, inefficient, or even impossible without electricity. For example, between 1.3 and 1.6 million women and children die worldwide each year as a result of air pollution caused by smoke inhalation from cooking

SPENT

August 4, 2011

Poverty in the United States is often seen as a matter of choice and personal responsibility – we work hard, and they don’t. In reality, the difference between “us” and “them” can often be as random as a layoff, divorce, death in the family, medical emergency, or natural disaster. Nevertheless, the belief that “I’ll never be in that position” runs deep and this mindset, along with issues associated with class culture, and diversity, can pose a range of challenges for even the most well-meaning and sensitive law firm pro bono programs and participating lawyers. Poverty simulation exercises are one fantastic

Colbert Report Investigates Voting Rights

July 28, 2011

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Voter ID Laws www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive As the country gears up for the 2012 presidential election, an episode on last week’s Colbert Report took aim at state efforts to safeguard against alleged “voter fraud.” Many states, including Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin have passed or are considering legislation that would require voters to produce government-issued photo IDs at the polls. These bills create new hurdles to the ballot box that are especially high for low-income, minority, college-age, and elderly voters,

Global Spotlight: Vitamin Angels

July 28, 2011

Surely by now you’ve read our article, Pro Bono Food for Thought: Improving Access to Nutrition, in this month’s edition of The Wire, so you’re well aware of the important role pro bono plays in improving access to food and nutrition across America. As it turns out, nutrition is an equally vital enterprise for firms and legal departments seeking to do global pro bono as well. Nine hundred and twenty-five million – or one out of every seven people in the world – went hungry last year, and one in three people in developing countries suffers vitamin and mineral deficiencies. According to UNICEF, children are exceptionally vulnerable:

Collaborating to Serve Consumer Debtors

July 26, 2011

In response to the economic downturn, a group of legal departments and a law firm are collaborating to support a New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for Justice project dedicated to tackling issues facing consumer debtors. Lawyers from Prudential, AT&T**, Merck** and McCarter & English LLP* banded together to form Newark Legal Aid and Resource Clinic for Consumers (NLARCC), which provides legal assistance to an ever-increasing number of self-represented consumer debtors. Together, the group of lawyers has significantly increased capacity to address the uptick in consumer legal issues. The N.J. court system has been inundated with consumer-related cases, and the work of volunteer

Ashe Awardee Fights for Justice

July 15, 2011

Yet again, pro bono is found where one would least expect it. The PBEye was pleased to hear that ESPN gave the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage to Dewey Rader Bozella at its annual ESPY Awards earlier this week. Bozella, 51, was imprisoned for 26 years following a wrongful conviction in the gruesome murder of a 92-year-old woman in 1977. Our own Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatory WilmerHale was the firm behind Bozella’s 2009 release. But this pro bono miracle came only after many trials and tribulations for this innocent man. Bozella had a rough childhood, from witnessing his

Category: Law Firm Pro Bono