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

It’s time to enroll or renew as a Member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project for 2014-2015. Complete and return the enrollment form today to demonstrate your law firm’s support for access to justice and pro bono service. Submit your form before September 1, 2014, to receive a 10 percent discount. As a Member Firm, you’ll have access to high-quality resources to help you strengthen and grow your firm’s pro bono program, such as free publications and exclusive access to the Members-only section of the Project’s Resource Clearinghouse. This section of our website, which is available only to Member

There was more than one hero in this week’s episode of Lifetime’s legal comedy/drama, “Drop Dead Diva.” Kim, one of the show’s main attorneys, is saved from a mugger by a mystery man dressed as a superhero. The man turns out to be Hank, the court bailiff, and when he is fired for his unusual after-hours work, Kim plays the hero and takes his case on pro bono. Her legal team even dons costumes when opposing counsel demands Hank appear in court in his superhero attire. “Pro Bono Man” and “Lady Adjudicator” fight the case in court and in the

The legal profession is at an extraordinary demographic crossroads, with vast numbers of baby-boom attorneys facing career transitions. This wave of lawyers nearing retirement offers enormous opportunity and capacity to deliver desperately needed legal services to low-income and underserved populations. PBI’s Second Acts® initiative pioneered efforts to support transitioning and retired lawyers interested in second, volunteer careers in public interest law by identifying and implementing a range of workable models within law firms, legal departments, and public interest organizations that take advantage of the skills and expertise of these lawyers. Second Acts programs can help transition attorneys to retirement, ensure

In April, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new initiative to encourage federal inmates who have committed low-level crimes to petition for executive clemency. Since the announcement, more than 16,000 prisoners have completed electronic surveys to apply for reduced sentences, and it’s likely that tens of thousands of additional surveys are in progress. Clemency Project 2014, a working group composed of lawyers and advocates from the Federal Defenders, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), is in the process of recruiting and organizing pro