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

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

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. 

April 15 is just around the corner and this time of year can be stressful, especially for low-income Americans. They may fall victim to exploitation by commercial tax preparers charging unduly high fees for their services. Many also face obstacles when claiming their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which provides them and their families a refundable tax credit based on earnings and number of children.  There are numerous ways that pro bono lawyers can get involved during tax season and all year long to help low-income taxpayers. 1. Participate in a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program or a Low-Income Taxpayer

“Last Chance,” the most recent episode of the CBS true-crime investigative program “48 Hours,” tells the compelling story of Damon Thibodeaux.  Thibodeaux was wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder of his “step-cousin” in 1996, and spent 15 years on death row in Louisiana.  The PBEye previously reported on his exoneration, which was made possible through the heroic pro bono legal assistance of attorneys and staff at Fredrikson & Byron*† in collaboration with the Innocence Project and the Capital Post Conviction Project of Louisiana. Among those interviewed and seen on the program are our friends, attorney Steve Kaplan and Pro