PBEye Blog - Page 15 of 67 - Pro Bono Institute

On the Road to MJP Reform

April 25, 2018

When PBI traveled south earlier this month to the 5th Biennial Virginia Pro Bono Summit, we were reminded of an earlier venture down the highway to attend the Commonwealth’s first Pro Bono Summit in 2010. It was not the first road trip that PBI had undertaken in the name of improving access to justice through multijurisdictional practice (MJP) reform, nor would it be the last. The summit was an inspiring gathering that included a persuasive appeal from Randy Milch, then general counsel at Verizon Communications Inc.**, to the Virginia Supreme Court to change restrictive practice rules that prevented many of Verizon’s in-house

Hundreds of CLOs and Managing Partners Show Support for Funding LSC

April 18, 2018

Yesterday, 251 Chief Legal Officers and General Counsel from across the country joined a letter in support of an increase in funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the largest funder of civil legal aid programs in the U.S. The letter was part of a nationwide campaign to secure LSC funding for FY2019. A similar letter was submitted last week by more than 180 managing partners from law firms across the nation. In each of the past two years, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued proposed spending bills that sought to defund LSC. Last year’s proposal resulted in a similarly robust response from the legal community.

Virginia Is Making Pro Bono Cool!

April 17, 2018

The Virginia Supreme Court hosted its 5th Biennial Chief Justice’s Pro Bono Summit on April 4 in Richmond, Virginia. Chief Justice Donald Lemons welcomed approximately 100 attendees to the Court to share pro bono initiatives The Commonwealth is spearheading to further develop a culture of pro bono. Pro Bono Institute President and CEO Eve Runyon and Corporate Pro Bono Director Tammy Sun attended the event and were energized by the great efforts organized by all sectors of the Virginia Bar. The Virginia Supreme Court hosted its first Pro Bono Summit in 2010 with a call to “make pro bono cool.” Since then, Virginia has launched

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Kate Nolen

March 5, 2018

This week on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, we talk with Kate Nolen of Lathrop Gage†. A die-hard fan of Mizzou, which she attended for undergrad and law school, Kate was introduced to pro bono through her sorority volunteer program with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). She also participated in domestic violence and housing clinics while a law student. Kate went on to work for CASA in Kansas City and saw first-hand how under resourced public service organizations can be. In response and in addition to her regular duties, she started recruiting volunteer attorneys

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Michelle Movahed

February 19, 2018

This week we talk with Michelle Movahed of McCarter & English*† on the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast. She shares her schooling and career journey from participating in housing rights clinics at Fordham Law School to helping families recover from natural disasters in Brooklyn and expanding women’s rights to healthcare at public interest organizations to taking her talents to Big Law at McCarter & English. Her biggest takeaway from her transition from working as a social justice lawyer to working for a well-resourced law firm? “Nobody has said ‘no’ to me.” “People not only say ‘yes,’ but they come and

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Scott Hunt

February 12, 2018

This week on the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, we talk with Scott Hunt of Armstrong Teasdale*† about his career, the firm’s pro bono program, inspiring the next generation, food deserts, and more. As a tax lawyer, Scott shares how non-litigators can actively participate in pro bono work and serve people in need. Scott serves on an amazing nine nonprofit boards and his areas of interest are diverse. One of the organizations he supports is The Link Market, an innovative model of modular grocery stores that are located along St. Louis’ light rail system to offer high-quality and affordable food.

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Mary Benton

February 5, 2018

Mary Benton of Alston & Bird*† joins us this week the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, to discuss the firm’s proud pro bono history and exciting current projects. One of the firm’s founders – Phillip Alston – was a signatory to the resolution that created the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Mary shared tips on how she boosts participation by recognizing and publicly acknowledging attorneys for their pro bono work. She and her team actively look for ways to thank people, including nominating them for awards presented by legal services organizations and other volunteer recognition

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Karen Grisez

January 29, 2018

Karen Grisez of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson*† is our guest this week on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour. Karen, a pro bono legend, shares her career journey from legal secretary to paralegal to lawyer. She joined Fried Frank because of its staff diversity and support for pro bono matters. The firm has long been invested in making pro bono part of the firm culture – it was the third firm in Washington, DC to create a full-time Public Service Counsel position. Karen accepted that role in 1996, and still holds it

Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Reporting Is Now Open

January 25, 2018

Reporting season for the 20177 calendar year is now open. We have emailed unique survey links to all Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatories, so be sure to check your spam filter if you did not receive yours. The deadline for reporting is March 22. Each year, Challenge Signatories provide a brief, electronic report to the Law Firm Pro Bono Project on their progress in meeting the Challenge. The individual firm data is kept confidential, but each submission provides the basis for critically important aggregate statistics about trends in law firm pro bono. In 2016, Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatories contributed: Approximately 4.7 million

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: Eye of the Storm

January 8, 2018

Native Houstonian and podcast all-star Ellyn Josef of Vinson & Elkins* joins us this week on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, to share her experience and discuss pro bono efforts around Hurricane Harvey. Ellyn describes how the pro bono community prepared for the storm, the importance of collaboration with other firms and legal aid organizations during a crisis, and how the technology they utilized to organize airport lawyering to address the Muslim travel ban was applied to their response to the hurricane. Spend 25 minutes and hear about Ellyn’s compelling experiences during one