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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VIDEO: Verizon on the Pro Bono Horizon

Our friend John Frantz, vice president and associate general counsel at Verizon Communications Inc.**, heads the company’s pro bono program and spoke with us about two emerging areas in pro bono we care a lot about: multijurisdictional practice rules reform and pro bono partnerships. In the video below, Frantz explains why both are important to pro bono culture, and both are subjects Frantz knows something about.  In April, the Virginia Supreme Court removed restrictions on pro bono practice by in-house lawyers in the state, a great victory for pro bono and Verizon, which was looking to get attorneys more involved

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It Gets Better

Approximately one in every five high school students is bullied, demoralizing young victims and endangering their lives.  When schools fail to prevent bullying, the targets feel isolated, lonely, and depressed. Many cannot focus on their studies because they are haunted by fear.  Sadly, suicides and attempted suicides are all too common. While many people assume that schools will protect their children, school officials are often reluctant to assume responsibilities beyond their core educational role. It can be difficult to gain officials’ cooperation to discuss how schools can manage bullying that can occur any time from a bus ride in the

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VIDEO: Meet the Face of Pro Bono

Just a week away from Thanksgiving, we at The PBEye are thinking about what we’re most thankful for.  Overall, we’re very thankful for all of our friends and supporters who spend so much of their time and energy fighting for access to justice for those in need.  We’re also thankful this year for having had the opportunity to meet Dewey Bozella and hear his words on the importance of pro bono at the 2011 PBI Annual Dinner.  Bozella, who spent 26 years in prison for a wrongful murder conviction, was freed two years ago with the help of pro bono

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GE, Arnold & Porter, CLC Partner for Kids

In the summer of 2010, representatives from General Electric Company** and Arnold & Porter LLP*combined forces to help address some of the issues facing at-risk youth in the Washington, D.C. area.  The team met with the Children’s Law Center (CLC), an organization that provides free legal counsel to low-income children in the D.C. area, to formulate a plan.  After meeting with CLC, the organizations decided to focus their efforts on increasing access to special education resources. Washington, D.C. has an exceptionally high prevalence of disability among children, with more than 12,000 children who have disabilities requiring special education accommodations.  Many schools

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Pro Bono to Honor Those Who Serve

“In an unbroken line of valor stretching across more than two centuries, our veterans have charged into harm’s way, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice, to protect the freedoms that have blessed America. Whether Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard, they are our Nation’s finest citizens, and they have shown the heights to which Americans can rise when asked and inspired to do so.” — President Barack Obama (2010) This Veterans Day, Americans will recognize the sacrifices of the country’s veterans with parades, memorials, and tokens of appreciation. Providing pro bono services to eligible veterans is a unique opportunity for lawyers

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