PBEye Blog - Page 29 of 68 - Pro Bono Institute

Upcoming Webinar: Pro Bono in Practice – Elections

July 7, 2016

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

Guest Blog: Legal Pro Bono at Salesforce

July 5, 2016

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

For the Public Good

June 30, 2016

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

The State of Law Firm Pro Bono

June 23, 2016

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

Pro Bono Leaders Shine at Transatlantic Legal Awards

June 21, 2016

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

It’s Pro Bono Podcast Monday

June 20, 2016

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,

Inside the Making of a Pro Bono Video

June 16, 2016

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,

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

June 14, 2016

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

How Do You Measure A Year?

June 9, 2016

With the Tony Awards on Sunday night fast approaching, our initial answers are borrowed liberally from the lyrics of Rent: Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes? In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife? In love? Yes, to all of the above. In part, we measure a law firm pro bono program’s year in hours, attorney participation rates, hours per attorney, pro bono time as a percentage of billable time, pro bono for those of limited means, and charitable giving to legal services organizations. How was 2015? Stay tuned.

The PBEye Salutes Solicitor General Donald Verrilli

June 3, 2016

After five years as Solicitor General of the United States, Donald Verrilli will be stepping down from the position. Verrilli is well known not only as a gifted orator but a staunch advocate for pro bono. PBI was honored to have him join us at the 2015 PBI Annual Conference to discuss his passion for access to justice and his hopes for the future of pro bono. When asked about whether he advises others to share his personal goal of spending at least 10 percent of his hours on pro bono matters he said: The way it looks to me now