PBEye Blog - Page 47 of 70 - Pro Bono Institute

VIDEO: New York Adopts In-House Pro Bono Practice Rule

December 6, 2013

The PBEye applauds the New York Court of Appeals for adopting an amendment to its practice rules that permits in-house counsel barred in other jurisdictions and registered in New York to provide desperately needed pro bono legal services. Prior to its adoption, practice rules in New York allowed non-locally licensed in-house counsel to register to work for their employer in New York but did not authorize them to also engage in pro bono legal services. New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, joined by CPBO, representatives from ACC, and others announced the adoption of this new rule, which

The New Homeless: Our Youth

December 5, 2013

Although overall homeless rates have reportedly fallen over the past decade, the number of homeless children has grown at an alarming pace. According to recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Homeless Education, the number of homeless youth enrolled in K-to-12 public schools has increased by 72 percent since 2007, and has risen 10 percent between 2010 and 2011 alone. Furthermore, the most recent Department of Education numbers reveal that a record number of children – 1.2 million – enrolled in public schools were homeless between 2011 and 2012. The largest concentration of homeless youth

A Social Network Committed to Social Responsibility

December 3, 2013

To help address the growing need for legal assistance for low-income individuals about the complex bureaucracy surrounding government health insurance programs, Fenwick & West*† and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County launched a new project in October 2010 aimed at increasing access to affordable health care. Working together, the partnership organized clinics to advise low-income seniors and disabled adults on how to qualify for affordable healthcare coverage. These “Share of Cost” clinics serve individuals and families in San Mateo County, Calif., whose income is slightly above the Federal Poverty Level but is insufficient to meet the expense of

“We” vs. “They”

November 21, 2013

We spend a lot of time thinking, talking, and writing about why lawyers, law firms, and legal departments should do pro bono work. In case you need another reason, check out this research brief from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. Their bottom line: “Employee volunteer programs can engage employees emotionally and intellectually.” We often focus on the business case and “bottom line benefits” of pro bono and general corporate volunteerism, such as skills development, lower absenteeism, reduced turnover, and increased productivity. This brief explores whether pro bono and corporate volunteering could “foster social identity and a strong sense

Don’t Be Intimidated: Selecting In-House Pro Bono Projects

November 19, 2013

At this year’s PBI Annual Conference, in-house counsel and other legal department pro bono leaders broke into groups to discuss a variety of topics relevant to the continued development of in-house pro bono. One group, led by Adam Brink of The Clorox Company**, focused its discussion on the selection of pro bono projects including how departments starting, expanding, or refocusing their pro bono efforts can select the right projects. Getting Started When creating an in-house pro bono program, there are a series of steps to take prior to selecting specific projects. Before any significant projects can be started, departments must

The December 2004 Tsunami: A Global Pro Bono “Tipping Point” for Deloitte

November 15, 2013

PBI was honored to recognize Deloitte Financial Advisory Services (FAS) LLP with the first-ever PBI President’s Award, presented at the 2013 PBI Annual Dinner on November 7 in New York. Among its many contributions, Deloitte FAS has provided invaluable assistance to PBI, enhancing and refining PBI’s collection and analysis of annual pro bono performance data for its Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® reports. The company is also working with PBI, Merck & Co., Inc.**, and others on the Pro Bono Measurement Project, a comprehensive process to enable law firms and legal departments to measure the societal good and business benefits

Our Nation’s “Hunger Cliff”

November 14, 2013

More than 47 million Americans who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps, recently experienced sharp reductions in their monthly assistance. The automatic cuts will decrease food stamp spending by $5 billion in the 2014 fiscal year, leaving many people struggling to get by, especially at the end of each month. With the start of November marking what food activists have termed the “Hunger Cliff,” we at The PBEye have been thinking about pro bono efforts designed to fight hunger and increase the availability of nutritious and affordable food. Pro bono work to support

CPBO Loves New York

November 13, 2013

While in New York for PBI’s National Leadership Convocation and Annual Dinner, CPBO hosted its third annual in-person meeting for pro bono leaders from legal departments in the greater New York area and met individually with representatives from local in-house departments. CPBO’s in-house pro bono leaders meeting was generously hosted by Viacom Inc.** Michael Fricklas, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Viacom, welcomed attendees, who included representatives from Citigroup**, Consolidated Edison, Goldman Sachs Group, Prudential Financial**, Time Warner, and UBS Wealth Management Americas. Fricklas shared Viacom’s commitment to the community and mentioned some of the benefits of collaboration with attendees. CPBO Director Eve Runyon

Video: Why Do Pro Bono? Allen Kato, Fenwick & West

November 12, 2013

We’ve all been beneficiaries of some kind of assistance, right? This week we hear from Allen Kato, associate at Fenwick & West*†. Take a listen as Kato explains why he believes it is important for lawyers to give back to the community. YouTube Link * denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® † denotes a Member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project

Interested in a Pro Bono Consultation?

November 7, 2013

The 2013 Pro Bono Institute Annual Dinner has arrived and tonight’s the big night at Gotham Hall! That means it’s also time for Law Firm Pro Bono Project house calls in New York City and this week we’ve already met with five firms! These house calls are part of our expert consultative services program, where Law Firm Project Director Tammy Taylor and Law Firm Project Assistant Director Reena Glazer visit law firms and meet with pro bono committees, firm and office leaders, partners, and pro bono coordinators, directors, and managers to discuss trends in pro bono and to learn about