WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pro Bono Institute has selected Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary John F. Schultz and the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) as the recipients of the 2016 Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award for their superior commitment to pro bono work. The award will be presented at PBI’s Annual Conference Reception at the Supreme Court of the United States on March 24.
A Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Challenge® signatory, the HPE OGC, composed of nearly 900 professionals and attorneys, engages more than 50 percent of its global team in pro bono legal services. Established in 2007, the OGC’s pro bono program is both expansive and sustainable, adopting a strategy of thinking globally and acting locally. Committed local leaders on the ground at core sites have expanded the program into more than 20 countries, and engage in projects that include litigation, research, education, and transactional pro bono.
“HPE’s commitment to provide pro bono legal services that cover a variety of needs to communities around the globe is exemplary,” PBI Board of Directors Chair James W. Jones said. “The department’s work clearly shows the tremendous impact legal departments can have by using their skills to transform lives and improve access to justice.”
In 2015, more than 500 OGC employees donated more than 7,000 hours to pro bono projects and causes. In 2016, HPE has set equally ambitious goals for pro bono participation.
Around the world, HPE OGC partners with legal organizations, law firms, and nonprofits to provide meaningful pro bono opportunities for its attorneys and professional staff alike. These efforts include helping veterans with appeals to obtain much needed benefits; staffing housing clinics to assist families facing eviction; providing corporate and employment law advice to nonprofits; working with international organizations to combat forced labor and human trafficking; and helping create a records expungement clinic that gives individuals the opportunity for gainful employment.
“We are truly honored to receive this award,” Schultz said. “As our friends at PBI know, there are many reasons to do pro bono. Yes, it’s ‘right thing to do,’ but it also provides opportunities for professional growth, it improves the world we live and work in, and promotes a culture of service and selflessness. At the end of the day, it’s who we are and who we want to be.”
HPE’s receipt of the award highlights the increasing number of in-house legal departments who have formalized or are moving to formalize their pro bono programs. This year CPBO celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the CPBO Challenge® initiative, which enables legal departments to identify, benchmark, and communicate their support for pro bono service. The CPBO Challenge® statement is now the standard for in-house pro bono. It is a simple, voluntary statement of commitment to pro bono service by legal departments, their lawyers, and staff. Learn more about the CPBO Challenge® initiative
This year also marks PBI’s 20th Anniversary, which will be recognized on March 24 during the 2016 PBI Annual Conference Reception at the Supreme Court.
About PBI’s Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award
The award is given each year to an individual or organization that has provided exemplary pro bono service. It honors the leadership of Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal Laurie D. Zelon, who was one of the originators of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®. Past recipients include chief legal officers from Microsoft Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., BNY Mellon, Intel Corporation, Aetna, Inc., and General Electric Company, among others.
About the Pro Bono Institute
Founded in 1996, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. With an unparalleled depth of knowledge, resources and expertise, PBI is the respected resource for all things pro bono. Through our work with law firms, in-house corporate legal departments, and public interest organizations, PBI is the global thought leader in exploring, identifying, evaluating, catalyzing, and taking to scale new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
About Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is an industry leading technology company that enables customers to go further, faster. With the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio, spanning the cloud to the data center to workplace applications, our technology and services help customers around the world make IT more efficient, more productive and more secure.
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