Membership in the Law Firm Pro Bono Project offers unmatched pro bono professional development, training, and networking opportunities. At a time when changes are being implemented at law firms on what seems like a daily basis, it is more important than ever to stay on top of current industry trends and best practices. Members receive exclusive benefits that make it easier for their firms to administer successful law firm pro bono programs. These benefits include, among other things, 1/3 off registration fees to the PBI Annual Conference and free access to webinars and on-demand programming with PBI’s network of experts.

For law firms looking to spice up their pro bono marketing, videos can be an effective option. As we’ve previously reported, a video is an innovative and engaging way to promote your firm’s pro bono program and demonstrate your firm’s dedication to pro bono. Our friends at Faegre Baker Daniels*† have given us helpful guidance on how videos can strengthen both internal and external pro bono marketing efforts. Internally, firms can use a video to capture attention during presentations at firm annual meetings, as the nature of pro bono practice lends itself to video presentation more than other topics typically

The Law Firm Pro Bono Project is pleased to announce two new additions to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®: Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz*† recently signed on to the Challenge and Stinson Leonard Street*†, the firm that resulted from the merger earlier this year of Leonard, Street and Deinard and Stinson Morrison Hecker, renewed their commitment to the Challenge. We are excited to welcome both of these firms, whose attorneys and staff have shown a strong dedication to pro bono work by providing a wide range of legal services to those in need. Since 1993, the Law Firm

The 2014 midterm election is quickly approaching and the struggle to protect voting rights is ongoing. Since last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act with its decision in Shelby County v. Holder, a number of states have moved forward with restrictive voter identification laws, laws impeding voter registration, cutbacks on early voting (which could exacerbate the problem of long lines on Election Day), and laws making it more difficult to restore voting rights to those with past criminal convictions. These restrictions create hurdles to the ballot box that disproportionately affect low-income, minority, college-age, and

With Independence Day behind us, we are officially on to the second half of 2014. The long summer days provide the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on our accomplishments, our shortcomings, and our plans for the future. Recently, the notion of “disruption” has caught our eye, here at The PBEye. Clayton Christenson defines “disruptive innovations” as “innovations that transform products which . . . are complicated and expensive into things that are so affordable and accessible that a larger population of people has access to them.” Industry by industry (Uber! Twitter!), these disruptive innovations have flipped the status quo

The Colbert Report Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook   Last month, the satirical news show The Colbert Report shed light on a persistently troubling part of our nation’s justice system: criminal justice debt. As we’ve previously reported, the costs associated with being a low-income offender can be overwhelming as many states and localities charge fees and surcharges to fund the criminal justice system at every step of the process, from the courtroom to jail to probation. These may include fees for public defenders, jail fees, court administrative fees, prosecution fees, probation fees, parole

Is your firm making the most of its pro bono program in developing your attorneys’ skills? Are you strategically linking your pro bono efforts with professional development opportunities and performance evaluations? Although the nexus between pro bono and professional development has long been acknowledged, largely in an informal way, many firms have come to recognize that the hands-on experience that pro bono work provides can be invaluable. Developmental pro bono assignments, or targeting pro bono work to cultivate skills, are particularly effective ways for attorneys to develop and demonstrate many of the “hard” and “soft” skills required for advancement. The