Time Warner’s Pro Bono New Year’s Resolution
As in-house pro bono grows, legal departments are hosting a variety of opportunities for staff (lawyers and non-lawyers alike) to learn about and engage in pro bono services.
On December 13, CPBO traveled to New York to join Time Warner as it hosted “Pro Bono Practice for Corporate Counsel” at its offices for the legal staff at Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting, and other Time Warner affiliates. The event featured a panel that highlighted pro bono opportunities for in-house counsel in the New York area. Panelists represented six organizations – New York Legal Aid Society, New York City Bar Association, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Catholic Migration, Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Corporate Pro Bono – and covered a range of topics pertaining to pro bono, including individual representation, counseling nonprofit organizations, and specialized projects. Eve Runyon, CPBO project director, led a lively discussion about CPBO’s Clinic-in-a-BoxSM model, multi-jurisdictional practice issues for in-house lawyers, malpractice insurance, and ethical obligations.
The December event generated such tremendous enthusiasm for pro bono among the legal department’s staff that Time Warner’s pro bono committee has already scheduled three exciting pro bono activities for early this year. Next up for the Time Warner legal department: an ethics panel on February 15, and two pro bono clinics, including a Clinic-in-a-BoxSM program, hosted in partnership with Corporate Pro Bono and Kirkland & Ellis LLP*, on April 14.
*denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®
