Don’t Miss Out on the Benefits of Membership

More than 50 firms have already become Law Firm Pro Bono Project Members for 2016-2017. These firms have publicly demonstrated their leadership and commitment to pro bono service, and we are grateful for their support. Submit your enrollment form before September 1 to receive a 10 percent discount. As a Member Firm, you have free access to the Law Firm Project’s Resource Clearinghouse, which is a one-stop destination for publications, best practices, model policies, and other materials related to law firm pro bono. Member Firms can also download items from the Members-only section of the Resource Clearinghouse. The growing catalog

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Giving Time and Giving Money

PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project recently released its annual Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report, which examines the pro bono activities of Challenge Signatories. We’ve previously written about attorney pro bono participation and pro bono time devoted to those of limited means. Another notable highlight from 2015 was the increase in charitable giving to legal services organizations. The average firm donation last year was $460,660, which represents a 27.2 percent increase over the average firm donation in 2014, which was $362,217. We applaud those firms and attorneys who not only gave their time but also contributed their dollars to local

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Upcoming Webinar: Pro Bono in Practice – Elections

What do John Legend, John Oliver, and The PBEye have in common? We are all interested in voting rights and the upcoming election. As the 2016 presidential election captures our attention and November 8 gets closer, one thing is certain: many eligible voters will have trouble casting ballots on Election Day. Voting is at the heart of our democracy; yet our voting system remains imperfect and deeply flawed. A number of prominent civil rights and public interest groups are leading non-partisan, critical efforts to ensure that every eligible voter can vote and that every proper vote is counted. Join us on July

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Guest Blog: Legal Pro Bono at Salesforce

We at The PBEye are inspired every day by the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatories.  In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPBO Challenge® initiative, we are showcasing some of their projects and letting them inspire you too. At Salesforce**, giving back is part of our DNA. Through our 1-1-1 model of integrated philanthropy, all employees are given seven days of volunteer time off (VTO) that they can use toward any cause they are passionate about. The legal team actively participated in VTO events, using our hours to volunteer at organizations like SF Food Bank and

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For the Public Good

PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project recently released its annual Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report, which examines the pro bono activities Challenge Signatories. Last week, we shared our optimistic view of pro bono and focused on overall attorney participation. Another notable highlight from 2015 is the increase in the percentage of total pro bono time committed to those of limited means and the organizations serving them. The Challenge asks firms to devote “a majority” of their pro bono time “to persons of limited means or to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and educational organizations in matters which are designed

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The State of Law Firm Pro Bono

PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project recently released its annual Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Report, which examines the pro bono activities of firms that are Signatories to the Challenge. Law firm pro bono in 2015 can be characterized by one word: optimism. One hundred twenty-nine Signatories to the Challenge collectively reported increases in total pro bono hours, pro bono hours for those of limited means, attorney participation rates, and charitable giving to legal services organizations. Among the many highlights from this year’s Report, the percentage of attorneys participating in pro bono increased to 74.6 percent in 2015 from to

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Pro Bono Leaders Shine at Transatlantic Legal Awards

Legal Week and The American Lawyer recently hosted the 2016 Transatlantic Legal Awards, celebrating achievement by both firms and in-house legal departments in global legal affairs. In particular, The PBEye was thrilled to hear that among the awardees were many leaders with regard to pro bono, including Microsoft Corporation**, its President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith, and DLA Piper*†. DLA Piper was recognized as Pro Bono Programme of the Year in honor of its signature pro bono project, aimed at upholding the rights of and providing legal assistance to the roughly 13.9 million immigrants across the globe displaced by war and

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It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday

Need some listening material for your upcoming vacation? Tune in to the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, and learn about exciting and meaningful developments in the world of law firm pro bono. Each week we interview insightful and entertaining expert guests from Law Firm Pro Bono Project Member Firms and Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatories, and offer a smart, fresh, creative take on pro bono. You don’t want to miss our recent interview with Gary Connelley of Crowley Fleck†. He talks about being a public interest lawyer and his transition, 20 years ago,

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Inside the Making of a Pro Bono Video

Have you tuned in to the Pro Bono Happy Hour? It’s the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast that highlights exciting and meaningful developments in the world of law firm pro bono. Each week we interview insightful and entertaining expert guests from Law Firm Pro Bono Project Member Firms and Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatories, and offer a smart, fresh, creative take on pro bono. We recently spoke with Aileen Bleach of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan*† about the firm’s inspirational new pro bono video. She shares her “behind-the-scenes” perspective and discusses why the firm decided to make a video,

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In-House Pro Bono in the News: Continuing the Conversation

In May, Corporate Pro Bono was featured on Legal Executive Institute, a Thomson Reuters website that offers insight into the profession of law and the legal marketplace through blog commentary and legal news analysis. In the piece Benchmarking In-House Pro Bono: CPBO Challenge Hits 10-Year Milestone, Eve Runyon, President and CEO of PBI, recounts the progress of the CPBO Challenge® initiative, “During the past 10 years the initiative has become the industry standard, with nearly 150 signatories from organizations that provide pro bono service in more than 44 countries. CPBO Challenge® signatories range in terms of size, industry and location, but they all

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