Law Firm Pro Bono Archives - Page 34 of 36

15 Ways to Boost Your Firm’s Pro Bono Hours

July 7, 2011

Based on the results of the recently released PBI Challenge Report, it may be helpful to carefully assess your firm’s pro bono program to indentify what’s working and what’s not. For those firms with pro bono time lagging behind past years or falling short of your firm’s goals, or those looking to build on previous success and improve their firm’s pro bono performance, here are some tips that might help you reinvigorate your pro bono program, increase pro bono hours, and improve program visibility: 1. Maximize your pro bono timekeeping; 2. Credit pro bono time – and show you mean it;

Pro Bono Weathers Rough Economy

June 27, 2011

As promised, PBI‘s Law Firm Pro Bono Project released its annual report of pro bono participation at large law firms today. The Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® report examines the 2010 pro bono activities of firms that have signed on to the Challenge. In 2010, attorneys from 138 firms completed more than 4.45 million hours of pro bono service, the third highest year on record! The executive summary notes: • Overall Challenge Performance — Reporting firms completed a total of 4,451,009 hours of pro bono work, the third highest year in the history of the Challenge. • Service to Persons

VIDEO: How Pro Bono Can Help Firms Recover

June 20, 2011

Last week we brought you The Evolving Law Firm Business Model and its Impact on Pro Bono, a webinar on how law firms have dealt with the economic crisis and are responding to a new market (on demand version coming soon). This week we have a few words from our friend Marlene Halpern at The Legal Aid Society on a related topic. Halpern, supervising attorney for pro bono at Legal Aid, talks about firms’ recovery from the economic crisis as an emerging issue and practical ways it intersects with the need for pro bono services for the poor. YouTube Link

Environmental Pro Bono – Anacostia River Clean Up

June 9, 2011

DC Appleseed has released a report exposing the dismal, polluted conditions of the Anacostia River and urging the federal government to take a more active role in coordinating river cleanup. “A New Day for the Anacostia,” published in May 2011, calls on the president and Congress to fund Anacostia River cleanup programs and install pollution controls in the watershed. Pro bono attorneys from Covington & Burling LLP*, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP*, Patton Boggs LLP*, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP* assisted the DC Appleseed Anacostia Waterfront Initiative in researching and writing for this project. Click here to download a

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

Disaster Relief: Lawyers Pitching In

June 6, 2011

Mother Nature is wreaking havoc across the United States and around the world. Images of disaster-stricken towns and cities feature prominently and regularly in recent news programming. Naturally, these images of desperation ignite in all of us a desire to take action. Lawyers are no exception. In the wake of a seemingly endless string of floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes, lawyers are interested in providing pro bono assistance to the victims. And as always, The PBI can offer thoughts on the many ways for attorneys to lend a hand. Staffing Clinics and Hotlines Staffing clinics and hotlines are time-limited ways for lawyers to

Today Slovakia, Tomorrow the World!

June 3, 2011

The PBEye is pleased to report that pro bono is taking root around the world. This week Slovakia went pro bono in a big way with the launch of its national Pro Bono Advocacy program which links private practitioners with local nonprofits and provides free legal advice to NGOs. Administered by the Pontis Foundation with assistance from PILnet, the program has already harnessed the pro bono legal talent of a slew of Slovak law firms. Whereas some countries’ legal communities have not been as eager to embrace pro bono, this initiative has garnered broad national support, from the Slovak Bar Association, which hosted the inaugural event, to

Using Pro Bono to Grow Healthier Communities

June 2, 2011

Unhealthy eating habits and limited access to fresh food are an issue for many Americans. While numerous projects to improve availability of affordable, nutritious food are taking place around the country, The PBEye just learned of a new initiative in our capital’s inner city. D.C.’s Common Good City Farm (CGCF) is an urban farm committed to providing fresh food and nutrition education to nearby low-income residents. This May, Britain’s Prince Charles, a long-time supporter of sustainable food projects, paid a visit in recognition of CGCF’s good work and accomplishments! Ballard Spahr LLP* recently helped CGCF with land use and permitting

Summer Reading List: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

May 27, 2011

Looking for a pro bono-themed read for your vacation this weekend? Pack The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot in your beach bag. This best-selling novel tells the story of an impoverished black woman whose cancer cells were used to aid in lucrative medical discoveries after she died in 1950. Meanwhile Lacks’ surviving relatives were left poor, and unable to afford health insurance. Jonathan Chou, an associate and former molecular biologist, and partner, Ethan Skerry, both from Lowenstein Sandler PC*, set up the Henrietta Lacks Foundation and secured tax-exempt status for the author, Rebecca Skloot, in 2010. The foundation aims

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: Law Firm Pro Bono