PBEye Blog - Page 63 of 65 - Pro Bono Institute

Global Spotlight: DLA Piper Gives Pro Bono a Bold New Perimeter

May 18, 2011

This week, New Perimeter, the global pro bono affiliate of DLA Piper LLP*, unveils its new website, www.newperimeter.org, spotlighting the firm’s savvy approach to pro bono, an innovative model well worth replicating. DLA Piper established New Perimeter to provide the law firm with a deliberate, strategic approach to bringing DLA Piper lawyers’ expertise to bear on some of the world’s most pressing problems. Through New Perimeter, DLA Piper lawyers from D.C. to Dubai invest their collective legal skills to advance women’s rights, combat hunger, fight HIV/AIDS, foster economic development, promote law reform, increase access to justice, and champion human

A Better Way to Do Business?

May 12, 2011

Google Maps can tell you what restaurants are nearby but it can’t tell you which one treats its employees well or which one has taken meaningful steps to reduce its environmental footprint; B Lab can. B Lab is a nonprofit that designates companies as Benefit Corporations (B Corps) if the company meets defined standards regarding how it treats its employees, the environment, and the community. Additionally, shareholders must agree to revise the company’s bylaws to allow business decisions to consider greater societal impacts in addition to minimizing costs and maximizing profits. This allows socially responsible decision-making without fear of shareholder

VIDEO: Leveraging Resources for Pro Bono

May 11, 2011

Over the years we’ve seen some very interesting pro bono programs and projects, particularly those created or modified in response to the global economic crisis. It seems that many lawyers and other people involved understand the importance of creativity and scalability when approaching access to justice issues. We at the PBEye think this column on the astounding growth of Bet Tzedek legal services from one to 31 offices in just a year illustrates just that. Aaron Hurst, president and founder of the Taproot Foundation, examines how the project essentially became a national organization without the hassle of a large, cumbersome

Pro Bono Leadership in a Changing World

May 9, 2011

To all law firm pro bono professionals out there grappling with changes – you’re not alone! A few months ago, Scot Fishman, Director of Pro Bono, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP,* and Christopher Walters, Senior Pro Bono Counsel, Reed Smith LLP,* explored the many ways that pro bono leadership roles and responsibilities have evolved in response to economic and structural changes at law firms. This professional development program for pro bono leaders – including pro bono committee chairs and members, as well as full-time pro bono managers – was originally produced as a live, interactive webinar in conjunction with West LegalEdcenter,

Walmart to Launch Signature Medical-Legal Partnership

May 5, 2011

A new player enters the world of in-house pro bono with a bang. The Walmart* legal department will launch a medical-legal partnership (MLP) project with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Legal Aid of Arkansas this spring. A relatively unchartered arena in in-house pro bono, Walmart’s MLP will be a signature project for its legal department, and will include both onsite and virtual pro bono opportunities for Walmart lawyers and legal staff. Onsite, legal professionals become a part of the healthcare team. Doctors will refer patients to lawyers for legal assistance when appropriate. Just as a pediatrician refers a patient to a radiologist for

Guest Blog: Pro Bono and Your Partner Retreat

May 3, 2011

For a relatively new Pro Bono Director like me, the opportunity to present at the annual McCarter & English* partner retreat would ordinarily be an invaluable time to educate partners about our growing pro bono program. The only wrinkle: our 2011 retreat’s theme of “business development.” After a moment of panic (“I am a public interest lawyer, what in the heck do I know about business development?”), I realized that this theme would push me to educate the partnership about how a meaningful pro bono program can contribute to the bottom line — an important topic in these challenging economic

VIDEO: Pro Bono Potential in Virginia

May 2, 2011

In the most recent edition of The National Law Journal, PBI President and CEO Esther F. Lardent writes about multijurisdictional practice issues through the lens of two states that have made progressive decisions that impact in-house pro bono. Lardent’s column examines the rules in many states that “handcuff [attorneys] with restrictions that are unnecessary, insulting and unjustifiable in the face of the crisis in access to justice,” while making the case for more freedom for in-house attorneys to do pro bono work. As you may have read here on The PBEye, last month the Virginia Supreme Court removed restrictions on pro bono practice

Four Firms Collaborate with Appleseed on New Report

April 28, 2011

This week our friends at Appleseed released the report: Children at the Border: the Screening, Protection, and Repatriation of Unaccompanied Mexican Minors, which exposes noncompliance with the 2008 federal Trafficking Victim Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). TVPRA, which was intended to prevent human trafficking and exploitation, has not been fully implemented or followed at the U.S.-Mexico border, where Mexican children unaccompanied by an adult are often shuttled back across the border without protection or proper care. As a result, thousands of children are needlessly exposed to human trafficking by drug cartels and criminal gangs, or repatriated to potentially abusive and dangerous

Getting Others Involved in Pro Bono

April 26, 2011

In-house pro bono is not just for lawyers. A recent benchmarking survey published by CPBO found that nearly 92 percent of responding legal departments involve non-lawyers in pro bono work. Aside from managing the administration of pro bono work and serving on pro bono committees, paralegals and other staff play an important role in serving in-house pro bono clients. Involving non-lawyers in pro bono activities increases the department’s capacity to provide legal services. Quite simply, more hands on deck means that more legal needs are met. Non-lawyers often possess unique skills useful in the provision of pro bono legal service. For example, some

Coming Soon! Talent Management for Law Firm Pro Bono

April 22, 2011

Just in time for our spring reading list, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project is set to release a new toolkit offering guidance and tips for using pro bono opportunities as part of any core competency and performance evaluation system. In the aftermath of the economic downturn, numerous large law firms have reevaluated their attorney management strategies. Many of the nation’s largest and most prominent firms have announced that they transitioned away from the “lockstep” model and turned to one focused on core competencies. Associates are now required to master certain delineated skills in order to advance in salary, billing