Category: Publications

The PBEye closely follows pro bono efforts designed to increase access to nutritious and affordable food.  As a society, we continue to pay greater attention to the food we eat and the impact it has on our health and well-being.  Unhealthy eating habits and limited access to fresh food, however, are systemic issues for many Americans.  This is particularly problematic because the number of poor and hungry residents in the U.S. climbed recently (47.3 million, nearly one in seven Americans, participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps).  Pro bono work in this area has

Disability rights issues are fertile ground for lawyers, law firms, and legal departments looking to develop or expand their pro bono practice.  The range of opportunities is broad and deep, with options for both small and large-scale projects and those that would appeal to litigators and non-litigators alike.  Through a variety of pro bono engagements and partnerships with advocacy organizations, pro bono lawyers can have significant and meaningful impact while being at the forefront of cutting-edge legal efforts.  More than 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, there is still more work to be done

We’ve come across an interesting new article that has intriguing implications for law firm pro bono.  Harnessing the Power of Feedback Loops in the July issue of Wired explores how we can create subtle reminders that encourage us to do better.  The idea of a feedback loop is simple: give people information about their actions in real time, then give them a chance to change those actions, encouraging them to improve their behaviors. A feedback loop involves four stages: 1.  Behavior must be measured, captured, and stored.  As they say, you can’t change what you don’t measure.  This is the

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;

Just in time for our spring reading list, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project is set to release a new toolkit offering guidance and tips for using pro bono opportunities as part of any core competency and performance evaluation system. In the aftermath of the economic downturn, numerous large law firms have reevaluated their attorney management strategies.  Many of the nation’s largest and most prominent firms have announced that they transitioned away from the “lockstep” model and turned to one focused on core competencies.  Associates are now required to master certain delineated skills in order to advance in salary, billing