PBEye Blog - Page 17 of 67 - Pro Bono Institute

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Eliza Vorenberg

October 16, 2017

Eliza Vorenberg from the Roger Williams University School of Law joins us on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, to explore her career, the Pro Bono Collaborative, which connects law firms, attorneys, and law students to community organizations that need pro bono legal services, and the access to justice culture in Rhode Island. We also discuss the wide variety of law student pro bono opportunities; the role of volunteer attorney mentors: expungement clinics; providing civil legal advice to individuals in a medium security prison and tax assistance clinics for low-income residents; and more. Take

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with BJ Jensen

October 9, 2017

BJ Jensen of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison*† joins us on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, to discuss his role as the firm’s first Pro Bono Associate, the firm’s pro bono work for immigrants, transgender clients, and more. He describes how he infuses emails with the personal relationships he’s built throughout the firm to better recruit volunteers to staff pro bono matters. BJ also discusses how the firm leadership’s deep commitment to pro bono encouraged them to quickly mobilize in response to January’s travel ban and engage in meaningful “airport advocacy.” Take

Ferguson, Fines, and Fees

October 5, 2017

Check out our most recent webinar produced in partnership with West LegalEdcenter, Ferguson, Fines, and Fees, to explore inspiring developments in the effort to decriminalize poverty and how pro bono lawyers can be of help. Since the killing of Michael Brown in August 2014, St. Louis and its neighboring municipalities including Ferguson, Missouri, have been frequently cited for legal and moral failings in the region’s municipal justice system, which routinely sends thousands of people to jail because they cannot pay legal fines and fees. Poor and African-American people are disproportionately affected. The events in Ferguson, Missouri shined a spotlight on

Ferguson, Fines, and Fees

October 5, 2017

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Kat McGee

October 2, 2017

Katharyn Christian McGee of Duane Morris*† joins us on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, to discuss the firm’s medical-legal partnerships, protecting survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking, and one of her favorite parts of her job: getting to know every attorney at the firm. Kat advises getting associates “hooked” on pro bono early in their careers and finding niche pro bono areas that are underserved by other firms and that appeal to individual attorneys. Take 50 minutes to listen to our conversation with Kat about how pro bono “feeds the soul.” Subscribe

Pro Bono Innovation and Evaluation

September 21, 2017

We are constantly amazed and inspired by the brilliant pro bono work being done every day to improve and save lives. Despite the passion and generosity of pro bono lawyers, we continue to confront a persistent access to justice crisis. In response, the legal community has been experimenting with innovative approaches to close the justice gap. A key component of innovation, however, must be evaluation. Our friend Jonathan Asher of Colorado Legal Services once said that the problem with legal assistance is that it has “too many uncritical lovers and too many unloving critics.” Now more than ever, pro bono

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Greg McConnell (Part 2)

September 18, 2017

“What does it mean to build a culture of pro bono?” In the continuation of our conversation with Greg McConnell of Winston & Strawn*†, we explore how pro bono is “more than winning” and how he, his pro bono team, and firm leadership took the program from “good” to “excellent,” including integrating pro bono into its firm-wide strategic plan. Take 40 minutes to listen to part two of our conversation with Greg on the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour. If you missed part one, it is available on Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Subscribe to

Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast, Special Edition: DACA

September 14, 2017

PBI recently released a special edition of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, in response to the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President and CEO Eve Runyon also released a statement about PBI’s support for our stakeholders who are providing legal assistance to DACA recipients and other immigrants. In this episode, we talk with Chris Marquardt of Alston & Bird*†, David March of the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council, and Liz Markuci of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) about the impacts the cancellation of DACA will have on immigrant

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday: A Conversation with Greg McConnell

September 11, 2017

Winston & Strawn*†’s Greg McConnell speaks with PBI on this week’s Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast about his career path, leading a mission-driven pro bono program, and how he and his team use a “seven-second” rule to get the attention of busy attorneys. Greg describes the satisfying double-boost of serving both pro bono clients and attorneys and how he and his team make it as easy as possible at the firm to do pro bono. He discusses the firm’s recently-created Corporate Social Responsibility Officer position and the professionalization of law firm pro bono. Take 40 minutes to listen to part

A Salute to Laborers

August 31, 2017

Labor Day is often spent as the last relaxing Monday before jumping into a new school year and saying goodbye to long, warm summer nights. Yet, it is important to take a moment to recognize the significance of this holiday; it honors the American Labor Movement and all the contributions that workers have made to the prosperity, strength, and well-being of this country. Although immense progress has been made, many work environments are far from perfect. Racism, discrimination, and the wage-gap persist. Pro bono lawyers have a critical role to play in protecting workers’ rights and helping workers secure fairer