CPBO Spotlight On: Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company that makes corporate citizenship a priority. From its Skills to Succeed initiative that aims to equip 250,000 people worldwide with the skills to get a job or build a business, to environmental stewardship to pro bono work and corporate giving, Accenture and its people are working to making a sustainable difference in communities around the world.  With such a serious company commitment to doing social good, it is no wonder that Accenture’s legal department boasts an exceptional pro bono program.  Under the helm of Accenture General Counsel, Secretary &

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Pro Bono and the Crisis in Indigent Defense

As The PBEye previously reported, many firms devote a great amount of pro bono time and resources to the defense of low-income individuals charged with crimes, often wrongfully.  Inspiring recent examples by our Member firms and Challenge Signatories include:  Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP* obtained a new trial for former death row inmate Erksine Johnson when a Tennessee appeals court vacated his 1985 felony murder conviction.  The decision was a result of new evidence discovered by a Cleary team, made up of more than 25 firm lawyers, that over the past 15 years has spent at least 15,000 hours

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Forced Marriage in the U.S.

Would it surprise you to learn that, every year in the U.S., thousands of women and girls are forced into marriages against their will?  The recently released results of a national survey conducted by the Tahirih Justice Center revealed more than 3,000 known and suspected cases of forced marriage in the past two years, alone, and Tahirih Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro recently told Newsweek, “We’ve already learned enough in the survey to tell us we’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg.”  In many of these cases, death threats were among the arsenal of tactics used by families to coerce

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Guest Blog: BNY Mellon’s Pro Bono Program

The Bank of New York Mellon recently launched its pro bono program.  Learn more about it below. Why Global Pro Bono at BNY Mellon? When Jane Sherburne, BNY Mellon’s general counsel, asked me to chair a new Global Pro Bono Program 10 months ago, I didn’t hesitate.  Jane has been a significant supporter of pro bono service, noting that it reflects BNY Mellon’s commitment to making our communities better places to live and work, and is fundamental to our team-oriented business culture and core values: trust, teamwork, client focus and outperformance. For perspective, in 2010, BNY Mellon and its employees around

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VIDEO: The New Faces of Pro Bono

With the recent economic crises, many people have been impacted in a way they may never have expected.  For some insight on this The PBEye spoke to longtime PBI friend and Board Member Laurie Zelon, associate justice on the California Courts of Appeal, about the increasing trend of middle classes families that are finding themselves in need of legal services for the first time and aren’t aware that help exists for them.  Zelon explains that since needs have changed, the leadership of firms and courts need to cooperate to find ways to efficiently reach and assists those in dire straits.   She

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Minnesota Legal Departments Lead in Pro Bono

Four months since Corporate Pro Bono last visited Minnesota, CPBO was back to attend the Regional Convocation in Minneapolis and meet one-on-one with a number of the state’s leading companies, whose in-house attorneys dedicate their time and legal skills to their communities.  In particular, CPBO met with pro bono attorneys and staff from 3M Company**, Best Buy Co., Inc.**, Cargill, Incorporated, and Target Corporation, and gained further insight into each organization’s pro bono activities. The first stop on the itinerary was lunch with Mike Skoglund at Cargill, where CPBO learned more about Cargill’s pro bono efforts, including a joint project with

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VIDEO: Strategic and Global Pro Bono

As we enter each new year, we really like to think about what our friends and supporters are working on so we can better serve them. The PBEye spoke to Madeleine Schachter, global director of corporate social responsibility for Baker & McKenzie LLP*, about what the firm is focusing on as pro bono continues to evolve.  Check out the video below to hear Schachter’s comments on the future of pro bono. YouTube Link *denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®  

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VIDEO: Thinking About the Future of Pro Bono

Pro bono is dynamic and should be treated as such. When The PBEye sat down with Fiona McLeay, executive director of the Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH), she talked to us about changes in approaches to pro bono as the field develops. She also spoke about developing ways to effectively monitor the long term impact of pro bono work within the community as it matures and becomes more sophisticated.  Watch the video below for her detailed take on these developing trends in pro bono. McLeay’s words sound a bit like something we’ve heard before here and here. YouTube Link

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Now Available: Best Practices for Pro Bono Committees

A well-functioning pro bono committee can solidify an institutional commitment to pro bono work and enhance a law firm’s pro bono performance.  Ultimately, for a committee to be successful, it is essential that members communicate and function harmoniously, and that there is meaningful participation from group members. Through its research and consultative services, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project has amassed a wealth of information regarding pro bono committees.  If your firm has decided to form a pro bono committee, or if you are looking for new ways to reinvigorate an established committee, consider the options and best practices for

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Gap Meets with Local Nonprofits

Last week, Gap, Inc.’s** legal department met with ten local nonprofits to conduct a legal audit of the organizations and ensure that they are operating in good legal health.  Gap partnered with CPBO, Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP) of The Bar Association of San Francisco, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP* to host a Clinic in a BoxSM program. The Clinic, held at the Gap headquarters in San Francisco, attracted 42 members of the Gap legal department, including Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer Michelle Banks, who participated in the training session and met with a

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