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Global Spotlight: Vitamin Angels

July 28, 2011

Surely by now you’ve read our article, Pro Bono Food for Thought: Improving Access to Nutrition, in this month’s edition of The Wire, so you’re well aware of the important role pro bono plays in improving access to food and nutrition across America. As it turns out, nutrition is an equally vital enterprise for firms and legal departments seeking to do global pro bono as well. Nine hundred and twenty-five million – or one out of every seven people in the world – went hungry last year, and one in three people in developing countries suffers vitamin and mineral deficiencies. According to UNICEF, children are exceptionally vulnerable:

Collaborating to Serve Consumer Debtors

July 26, 2011

In response to the economic downturn, a group of legal departments and a law firm are collaborating to support a New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for Justice project dedicated to tackling issues facing consumer debtors. Lawyers from Prudential, AT&T**, Merck** and McCarter & English LLP* banded together to form Newark Legal Aid and Resource Clinic for Consumers (NLARCC), which provides legal assistance to an ever-increasing number of self-represented consumer debtors. Together, the group of lawyers has significantly increased capacity to address the uptick in consumer legal issues. The N.J. court system has been inundated with consumer-related cases, and the work of volunteer

Ashe Awardee Fights for Justice

July 15, 2011

Yet again, pro bono is found where one would least expect it. The PBEye was pleased to hear that ESPN gave the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage to Dewey Rader Bozella at its annual ESPY Awards earlier this week. Bozella, 51, was imprisoned for 26 years following a wrongful conviction in the gruesome murder of a 92-year-old woman in 1977. Our own Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® Signatory WilmerHale was the firm behind Bozella’s 2009 release. But this pro bono miracle came only after many trials and tribulations for this innocent man. Bozella had a rough childhood, from witnessing his

VIDEO: Legal Services and You

July 14, 2011

As pro bono has grown and evolved over the years, partnerships among the various stakeholders regarding access to justice issues have become increasingly popular. Collaborations between law firms, corporate legal departments and legal services organizations have become more common as a way to pool resources and expertise for pro bono legal work. Now we are seeing even more involvement from government as various jurisdictions look to maximize often scarce resources for the administration of justice. The PBEye recently had a chance to speak with our friend Jim Sandman, president of the Legal Services Corporation, a federally established nonprofit designed to

Challenge Firms Champion Rights of Refugees

July 8, 2011

Human Rights First celebrated World Refugee Day 2011 by paying homage to their law firm partners for outstanding pro bono legal service on behalf of indigent refugees. Refugees are persons who are unable or unwilling to return to their native countries due to a well-founded fear of persecution or because their lives or freedom would be threatened. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that, by the end of last year, nearly 44 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide, 15.4 million of them refugees. Many displaced men, women, and children spend years living in crowded camps, others languish in detention

15 Ways to Boost Your Firm’s Pro Bono Hours

July 7, 2011

Based on the results of the recently released PBI Challenge Report, it may be helpful to carefully assess your firm’s pro bono program to indentify what’s working and what’s not. For those firms with pro bono time lagging behind past years or falling short of your firm’s goals, or those looking to build on previous success and improve their firm’s pro bono performance, here are some tips that might help you reinvigorate your pro bono program, increase pro bono hours, and improve program visibility: 1. Maximize your pro bono timekeeping; 2. Credit pro bono time – and show you mean it;

CPBO Spotlight On: Verizon Communications

July 5, 2011

CPBO ChallengeSM Signatory Verizon Communications Inc. officially launched its pro bono program in late 2009. Already, the department has exceptionally high pro bono participation rates with attorneys and staff participating in offices across the United States. So far in 2011, nearly half of Verizon’s attorneys are participating. Under the program, the company’s more than 700 attorneys and staff are encouraged to volunteer a minimum of 25 hours per year. The department is fortunate to be under the leadership of a true pro bono devotee, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Randal Milch. The program is chaired by John Frantz, Verizon’s vice

CPBO Spotlight On: Royal Bank of Canada

June 28, 2011

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has been a pro bono leader among Canadian companies. RBC’s success is in large part due to the support of Executive Vice President and General Counsel David Allgood. Under his supervision, in 2007, RBC adopted a formal pro bono policy and its program has continued to flourish. With approximately 150 lawyers worldwide, the legal department has provided a wide variety of work for nonprofit organizations, including assistance with incorporation, governance, charitable tax status, employment and real estate issues, legal risk assessments, and the development of policies. In addition, RBC is involved in a variety of impactful

Pro Bono Weathers Rough Economy

June 27, 2011

As promised, PBI‘s Law Firm Pro Bono Project released its annual report of pro bono participation at large law firms today. The Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® report examines the 2010 pro bono activities of firms that have signed on to the Challenge. In 2010, attorneys from 138 firms completed more than 4.45 million hours of pro bono service, the third highest year on record! The executive summary notes: • Overall Challenge Performance — Reporting firms completed a total of 4,451,009 hours of pro bono work, the third highest year in the history of the Challenge. • Service to Persons