At the 2010 Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference, we were pleased to highlight a then month-old, cutting-edge initiative of The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network (LMSPN).  Millions of distressed homeowners are vulnerable targets to devious and sometimes criminal third-party scammers and con artists.  Underwater homeowners, desperate to keep their homes, are at risk from so-called “loan modification specialists,” some of whom are the very people who previously peddled subprime loans.  They employ various scams with disastrous consequences for homeowners.  While waiting for the promised relief, homeowners not only lose their money but often

In a previous post on The PBEye, our friend Lisa W. Borden, pro bono shareholder at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C.* wrote about the importance of social media to a law firm’s business and gave some tips on how firms can be savvier in promoting their pro bono work online.  Now, a recent article in The Washington Post depicts a growing trend.  “Leaders at several top 100 firms are for the first time hiring full-time social media specialists to manage firms’ LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, and many more are making a concerted effort to prioritize social media outreach

In Los Angeles County, a coalition of nonprofit, business, and city leaders have found permanent housing for more than 3,000 veterans and chronically homeless people.  It is the result of a new initiative called Home for Good, a project that plans to end long-term homelessness nationwide by 2016.  This unique effort was launched by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles in partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.   The Los Angeles Times reported, “More than 100 community leaders and organizations — including the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, several cities and housing authorities, law enforcement officials