There are so many great reasons to do pro bono! This week, we hear from Garth Meintjes, executive director, International Senior Lawyers Project as he shares what he believes is the most important reason to do pro bono. YouTube Link
On May 17, 1954, America reached a milestone in its fight for justice and equality when the Supreme Court released its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. The Court reached a unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine and outlawed segregation in public schools. For the millions of African-American children and parents forced to deal with the consequences of this institutionalized discrimination, the ruling represented a turning point in their fight for basic civil rights and freedom. #183323569 / gettyimages.com Sixty years later, Brown v. Board still impels many to fight all forms of discrimination and protect
Interested in a good read for the upcoming long weekend? Check out last December’s five-part series in The New York Times about a family living in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, NY. Through the story of 11-year-old Dasani, who is one of 22,000 homeless children in New York, “Invisible Child” shines a harsh light on the alarming increase of homeless youth in recent years and our nation’s problem of vast inequality. It’s one of the most powerful pieces we’ve read this year. We’ve previously discussed how even the most well-meaning and sensitive pro bono volunteers can have a hard time
Recruiting season at major law firms will be here before we know it, and many law students around the country are looking to join firms where pro bono is an integral part of the culture. Every year we are honored to be able to promote our Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatories and their demonstrated commitment to pro bono. Accordingly, last week the Law Firm Pro Bono Project distributed its annual Challenge poster to the career services offices of all ABA-accredited law schools. The poster lists every Challenge Signatory, raises the visibility of these firms to make them more attractive
Last week, PBI hosted the first in our “Best of the 2014 PBI Annual Conference” series of webinars “Pro Bono in Practice: Human Trafficking.” The panel consisted of Patrick Rickerfor, global pro bono manager at White & Case LLP*†; Hilary Axam, director of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, U.S. Department of Justice; Jeanne Cohn-Connor, partner at Kirkland & Ellis*†; and Martina Vandenberg, president and founder of The Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center. Setting the framework for the discussion, Axam noted that “trafficking” is a misnomer, as it does not require “movement.” Trafficking requires coercion, forcing a victim to engage in activities
It’s time to discuss the elephant in the room for many law firm pro bono programs – Succession Management Planning (SMP). #165039019 / gettyimages.com SMP is a continuous process that focuses on ensuring leadership continuity, in part by identifying and cultivating talent from within the firm to guarantee a smooth transition from one leader to the next. Thinking about the sudden or planned departure of pro bono leaders is neither easy nor comfortable and as a result, SMP, understandably, often takes a backseat on law firms’ pro bono “to-do lists.” However, it is important that firms create clear succession management
This week, we observed Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to commemorate the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Imagine having your family and childhood destroyed by the Nazis, only to be tormented by the crushing burden of poverty in old age. This is unfortunately the reality for many survivors worldwide, with one in four of the 140,000 Holocaust survivors in the U.S. living at or below the poverty line. There are inspiring opportunities for pro bono lawyers to get involved and help survivors with their legal needs. One pioneering example is Bet Tzedek’s Holocaust
Tomorrow is Earth Day and our attention has turned to environmental sustainability. Environmental degradation and climate change pose serious threats, and over the past few years, there has been increased local, national, and international concern for the health of our planet. As we previously reported, lawyers can put their legal training, skills, and expertise to use to propel environmental progress. There is an opportunity, which bypasses both traditional and positional conflicts, to suit the interests and talents of every pro bono lawyer, including partnering with environmental organizations, advocating and litigating on behalf of endangered species, engaging in global environmental pro
The Florida Supreme Court recently amended the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar to permit in-house counsel who are barred and in good standing in another jurisdiction and certified to work for their employer in Florida (“authorized house counsel”) to also provide pro bono legal services. While a step in the right direction, the amendment unfortunately imposes several limitations that make it among the most restrictive in the U.S. Prior to the amendment, Florida did not permit authorized house counsel to provide pro bono legal services. Under the new rule, authorized house counsel may engage in pro bono but as an
Don’t miss out on your chance to set up a house call with the Law Firm Pro Bono Project. We have upcoming trips to Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., and we are currently planning our travel schedule for 2014 and early 2015. Make sure your city is one of our destinations! These house calls are part of our expert consultative services program, under which Law Firm Pro Bono Project Director Tammy Taylor and Assistant Director Reena Glazer visit law firms and meet with pro bono committees, firm and office leaders, partners, pro bono coordinators, directors, and managers to offer individualized assistance.
