Pro Bono Publicity? Yes, Please!

It’s just days to go until the 2011 Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono, and The PBEye is starting to get excited!  We’ve been going over the session descriptions for things that stand out, and one session that looks particularly interesting is the Pro Bono Public Relations Primer on Friday, March 4, from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.

If you’re interested in blowing your proverbial pro bono horn, here’s where you’ll learn just how to do it!  This introductory session will explore how to effectively publicize your pro bono efforts and successes to create buzz around your program, both externally and internally. How can you utilize the available expertise and resources, along with mainstream and social media, to attract new pro bono volunteers, enhance your pro bono program’s reputation, increase visibility for your institution and pro bono program, and secure new pro bono opportunities, including high-profile representations?

This roundtable session promises tips and tricks for how you can shine the light on your pro bono efforts.  And with experts like APCO Worldwide’s Kent Jarrell and The National Law Journal‘s Tony Mauro, this session will not disappoint!

VIDEO: Why LSC Budget Cuts Will Hurt Pro Bono

The PBEye was troubled by a proposal in mid-February in the U.S. House to severely cut the budget of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).  We were then dismayed to learn of House approval of a $70 million cut on Feb. 19, which would be certain to hurt legal services throughout the country.

PBI’s President and CEO Esther F. Lardent wrote a column for the March edition of The National Law Journal, explaining how the cuts would have a cascading negative impact on access to justice.  The 136 local legal services programs that receive grants from LSC will have their funding cut by 18 percent on average.  The cuts themselves would be challenging to deal with, but the funding from these grants is the conduit for other additional funding to the programs, amplifying the impact of reductions.  Lardent writes:

[LSC’s] funds leverage substantial additional funding from other sources, and its grantees, through pro bono, leverage millions of hours of pro bono service. If Legal Services Corp. funding diminishes, pro bono service, despite its current momentum, will decline steeply as well… Congress needs to understand that cutting funding for legal services will stop the flow of valuable and free private assistance. This proposed funding cut not only threatens the very core of access to justice; it is economically unwise.

Lardent’s column shows the big picture, but we spoke a bit more with her about the issue to flesh out some important points that didn’t make it into print.

Lardent will be speaking at several sessions during PBI’s Annual Seminar/Forum THIS WEEK!  There’s still time to register, so don’t let this event pass you by.

Project Management – A New Addition to Your Pro Bono Toolkit

As corporate clients demand more value for their dollar from their outside counsel, law firms are grappling with the question of how to deliver predictable pricing and high-quality services on time and on budget. Law firms are challenged to meet these demands while maintaining profitability and lawyer satisfaction.

One potentially valuable tool that has been used for years in other areas of business, such as construction, marketing, manufacturing, and sales, is project management, an established method for planning work, tracking progress, and reporting status and changes. As a result, many firms are taking a page from the corporate world and turning to the discipline of project management — in which they look to unbundle the various stages and tasks associated with a matter so that each piece of the work can be assessed and improved, waste is eliminated, and the best personnel for each stage can be deployed.

To explore this cutting-edge trend, we will offer an exciting program exclusively for law firm attendees as part of the 2011 Annual Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono: Project Management Tools for Pro Bono (Thursday, March 3, 1:45 to 2:45 p.m.). This new session will include a primer on law firm project management and how project management tools and best practices can be applied to pro bono practice to increase operational efficiency and improve outcomes. What does the adoption of project management mean for law firm pro bono? How can you apply prudent and robust management practices to pro bono projects to increase efficiencies and improve outcomes? How might you integrate pro bono and project management to increase partner engagement in pro bono?

Whether your law firm is already applying the principles and methodologies of project management to meet client expectations and achieve its own strategic business objectives or still considering implementation, this session is certain to be thought-provoking. We are delighted that Carla Landry, a senior director of Hildebrand Baker Robbins and a senior consultant in the company’s Law Firm Strategy and Structure Group will be sharing her expertise and joining PBI’s Esther Lardent as facilitators for this intriguing program.

If you have questions or still need to register for the Seminar/Forum, please send an email to probonoseminar@courtesyassoc.com or call 202.973.8720. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

VIDEO: Law Firms and Pro Bono Post-Recession

PBI is privileged to have such a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer as Jim Jones as chair of its Board of Directors.   Jones, who is senior vice president of Thomson Reuters and Chairman of the Hildebrandt Institute, has been a critical thinker in matters of pro bono and strong advocate in the fight to close the justice gap.

Naturally, when Jones stopped by the PBI office for a visit, The PBEye had plenty of questions for him.  But in the interest of being timely (and keeping up with fast-paced online media) we asked him to talk a bit about the direction law firms are taking post-recession and how that will impact pro bono.  Jones digs right into the heart of the economic issues that have affected the way firms do business and how firm culture has evolved.  He also gives an excellent snapshot of “then and now” that provides context for the direction in which law firms are going.

We also asked about PBI’s role in pro bono going forward.  We won’t spoil it for you, but here’s a hint: it’s big.

Jones will be among dozens of speakers at the PBI 2011 Annual Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono March 3-5 in Washington, D.C.  If you’re looking for more great information about pro bono on a range of topics, register today.

In-House Pro Bono 101

Is your legal department looking to formalize a pro bono program?  If so, this year’s Forum session In-House Basics is a great place to gather relevant information and engage in lively discussion about common challenges and best practices.

Designed for legal departments that have recently created or restructured a formal pro bono program, or are in the process of doing so, this session offers a brief but comprehensive orientation to the basics of designing, guiding,  implementing, or administering a successful in-house legal department pro bono program.  Leading the discussion about in-house pro bono basics will be a team of Caterpillar* attorneys who have been integral to the success of the award-winning Caterpillar pro bono program.  Panelists will discuss their experiences getting started with pro bono and will answer questions pertaining to nascent pro bono programs. 

 Caterpillar is one of many legal departments that CPBO has assisted to implement a successful pro bono program.  CPBO, a partnership project of PBI and the Association of Corporate Counsel* (ACC), provides free and confidential technical assistance to in-house counsel, legal departments and ACC chapters.  Toward this end, CPBO has developed a collection of resources for legal departments looking to undertake a pro bono program and many of those resources will be provided to Forum participants.

For a complete list of Forum sessions, click here.  If you have questions or would like to register for the Seminar/Forum, please send an email to probonoseminar@courtesyassoc.com or call 202.973.8720.  

*denotes a Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge^SM

Conference Countdown

With just days to go until The 2011 Annual Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono, The PBEye is in countdown mode.  This week and next we’ll be bringing you information about sessions and events from the Seminar/Forum that we think you need to know. 

Be sure to check back here often to learn what you can expect during the Seminar/Forum.  We’ll be highlighting the sessions, award winners, and special events that matter to you!

And if you haven’t yet registered, act fast — online registration has already closed and space is extremely limited!  You can register by contacting registration at 202.973.8720 or probonoseminar@courtesyassoc.com.  We look forward to seeing you next week in Washington, D.C.

Pro Bono Kudos Down Under

As pro bono increasingly becomes a global enterprise, The PBEye was excited (but not surprised) to see this article come across our desk.  It seems that, in a recent meeting, Australia’s International Pro Bono Advisory Group made the decision to begin working in the Asia Pacific region to promote human rights and the rule of law.  In addition, the program will support the development of young lawyers in countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and East Timor.  Established by Attorney-General Robert McClelland in 2009, the International Pro Bono Advisory Group “promotes international pro bono work by the Australian legal progression which complement the Australian Government’s international aid program.” 

“The Group is proving to be an excellent forum for encouraging and promoting opportunities for Australian lawyers to be involved in international pro bono legal work,” Mr McClelland said.

“The Government has supported the Group through a $100,000 grant last year that kick started a number of pro bono initiatives in the region.

“These projects in East Timor, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea demonstrate the difference pro bono legal work can make by strengthening the rule of law and promoting robust legal frameworks, which go hand in hand with economic opportunity and safeguarding human rights.”

Since 1992 when the first formal pro bono referral scheme was established, Australia has quickly become one of the leaders in providing pro bono legal services throughout the world as determined in, “A Survey of Pro bono Practices and Opportunities in Selected Jurisdictions,” prepared by Latham & Walkins LLP* for the Pro Bono Institute.  It is exciting and inspiring to see the Australian government continue to recognize the importance of pro bono work.  Australia’s swift and successful rise to one of the prominent leaders in pro bono advocacy by continually working to expand pro bono in their region should serve as an example for the leaders of other developed nations. 

Does your firm have a global presence?  Are you looking to get involved overseas?  You can learn more about global pro bono at the 2011 Annual Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono next month. 

*denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge

Get In the Know at the Pro Bono Expo!

The 2011 PBI Annual Seminar Forum on In-House Pro Bono is rapidly approaching, and you don’t want to miss out on the chance to learn more about the public interest organizations that will be featured at the Pro Bono Expo Lunch on Friday, March 4.  We have 24 organizations hosting tables at the lunch, and their representatives are excited to share emerging issues, strategies, and developments in their topical areas, and provide information on the types of pro bono opportunities available to your firm or legal department.

Several of the organizations that have signed on to host a table this year include:

Bet Tzedek
National Women’s Law Center
Medical-Legal Partnership
Instituto Pro Bono
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

Online registration for the 2011 Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono closes tomorrow, so please register now, to take advantage of this exciting networking event. We hope to see you there!

CPBO Spotlight On: Qwest Communications International Inc.

In 2002, Qwest Communications International Inc. launched its “Spirit of Service” campaign to emphasize its dedication to customer satisfaction. That same year brought the leadership of Rich Baer as Executive Vice President and General Counsel to Qwest’s legal department. Embracing the new motto, Baer encouraged the department to develop a pro bono program that would allow it to serve the needs of those in the communities in which Qwest employees live and work.

In 2003, under Baer’s direction, an enthusiastic group of attorneys formed a Pro Bono Committee led by Associate General Counsel Christie Searls. As first steps, the Committee established a Pro Bono Policy and concise mission statement and worked with the company’s Risk Management group to ensure that the program provided malpractice insurance to its participants. The Committee then assembled a suite of pro bono volunteer options and training designed to make participation convenient and comfortable. Volunteers can, for example, sign up to provide pro bono counsel for a halfday once per month or can sign on for a single, longer term matter. Read more…

Exelon Corporate Counsel’s Death Penalty Victory

The PBEye is excited to see that in-house counsel are engaging in a wide range of challenging, ongoing pro bono projects. Take for example Glenn Newman and Tami Domeyer of Exelon Corporation**, who, teamed with lawyers in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP*, recently successfully navigated a complex death penalty appeal.  In a significant victory, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals decided last week to grant the defendant the chance to present evidence to the trial court in support of his claim that his previous counsel were ineffective. This death penalty case is just one example of the breadth of pro bono work being done by corporate counsel. 

Exelon’s Pro Bono Committee reports that the Exelon-Sidley team contributed more than 1,000 hours of pro bono work to vindicate their client’s rights and provide him the opportunity to present evidence in his defense. While recognizing this may not be a popular case, a member of the Exelon Pro Bono Committee remarked, “in the fine traditions of John Adams representing British soldiers accused of murder at the Boston massacre, the more unpopular the case, the more important is the need for excellent representation so that the rule of law and the wall of evidence can turn back the popular passions that would crumble our system of justice.”  We couldn’t agree more!

Exelon’s legal department has a longstanding commitment to pro bono, and under the leadership of Senior Vice President and General Counsel Darryl M. Bradford, it continues to thrive. 

Have you heard of other exceptional pro bono efforts by in-house counsel? If so, leave a comment and tell us all about it!

*denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^®
**denotes a Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠