CPBO Spotlight On: Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar established a pro bono program in 2006, under the leadership of Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Jim Buda, who recognized the benefits of developing a pro bono program, both for the legal division and for the communities in which the company operates.  In five short years, the legal division, which consists of more than 300 attorneys and staff in 26 offices worldwide, has provided thousands of hours of pro bono legal services to those in need.  In addition, a Charter Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge^SM, the Caterpillar legal division has met the Challenge’s 50 percent participation goal.  Its success is due not only to management support, but a strong committee infrastructure, including a designated coordinator, a position currently held by paralegal Celeste Poole.

Jim Buda, Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Caterpillar Inc.

The mission of Caterpillar’s pro bono committee is:

[To] facilitate the provision of pro bono services by Caterpillar Legal Services Division attorneys and staff, for organizations and individuals in need, to improve the communities in which we work and live.

The committee carries out this mission through a number of impactful pro bono efforts. 

Pro Bono Clinics
Lawyers and legal staff at Caterpillar’s corporate headquarters in Peoria, Ill., staff numerous clinics each year—both in Peoria and also in Chicago.  One such clinic served immigrants, helping victims of domestic violence obtain U-Visas.  Other clinics have provided legal assistance to disabled and elderly people and first responders by preparing powers of attorney and living wills.  The legal division typically partners with an outside firm and a legal services provider to host these clinics.

Individual Matters and Representation
Lawyers and staff regularly take on a wide range of individual matters including wills, divorce, orders of protection, adoption, 401(c)(3) organization, intellectual property matters, and employment issues.  A majority of these matters are referred to the legal division by a local legal services provider.

Global Pro Bono
Caterpillar has had tremendous success in undertaking global pro bono projects.  Of particular note is a recent case in which Caterpillar lawyers and staff teamed up with Accenture plc**, Merck & Co., Inc.**, Baker & McKenzie* and PILnet (formerly the Public Interest Law Institute) to create a virtually unprecedented and innovative inter-company, cross-border approach to meaningfully impact humanitarian issues. The resulting program united nearly 70 lawyers in 11 countries, all working to help draft model legislation to protect Nepalese women working in “cabin and dance restaurants” from socio-economic and sexual exploitation.  The project was generated by PILnet’s Global Pro Bono Clearinghouse, which disseminates pro bono opportunities for law firm and in-house lawyers to support the work of public interest lawyers around the world.  Based on a public interest case, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued a decision decrying the practices and directing the enactment of legislation to address the issue.  CPBO honored this partnership with its 2010 Pro Bono Partner Award.

Caterpillar is a true leader in in-house pro bono.  In addition to providing pro bono legal services, it has created an outreach team to provide advice and support to other legal departments with regard to their pro bono efforts.  Sharing the experiences of the Caterpillar legal division so that others may learn from them and be more effective in their efforts creates a multiplier effect and results in even more people being assisted.

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

Hot Off the Presses!

It is recruiting season at major law firms around the country!  Law students may be considering firms which demonstrate a strong institutional commitment to pro bono. The PBEye recently linked to a recruiting video designed by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP*, which highlights early opportunities for associate involvement in pro bono at the firm.

Another way we use pro bono to differentiate firms is by drawing attention to Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® firms.  The Law Firm Pro Bono Project mailed its annual Challenge poster to the career services and public interest offices of all ABA-accredited law schools.  This poster, which lists every firm that is a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^®, raises the visibility of these firms and makes them more attractive to the students they are trying to recruit.

We are pleased again to have this opportunity to promote Challenge Signatory firms, and publicize their commitment to pro bono to law students around the nation.

Please contact Law Firm Pro Bono Project Assistant Mary Baroch for an electronic and/or paper copy of the poster.  Click here for a full list of Signatory firms.

Let us know how your firm uses pro bono as a recruiting tool by leaving a comment below.

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

Predicting the Future by Shaping It

At a time when so there is so much uncertainty about the economy and the future, it may seem counterintuitive that PBI is seeing a growing trend in requests for assistance in undertaking strategic planning focused on pro bono from law firms and legal departments.  Upon reflection, however, the growth in this part of PBI’s consultative services practice is not surprising.

Given the profound shifts in law firm and legal department overall policies and practices, taking a long hard look at the firm or department’s pro bono program to ensure that it is complementary to and fully aligned with the organization’s future directions and plans makes good sense.

What kinds of strategic planning work are we doing?  It literally spans the globe and includes:

• Helping a mid-size national law firm ensure that its pro bono program – in terms of focus, message, and leadership – is fully aligned with the firm’s overall mission and goals;
• Working with a major legal department as it works to rationalize its charitable giving efforts and tie them more closely to its strongest pro bono partnerships with public interest groups and to establish a framework for responding to the growing number of requests for funding;
• Providing consultation services to a regional firm that has experienced a complete shift in top firm leadership.  The firm’s new leaders are not familiar with the pro bono program or with law firm pro bono in general and are requesting information about performance and benchmarking by peer law firms;
• Designing and facilitating a two-day strategic planning session for the pro bono and CSR-responsible managers and senior partners of a major global law firm with the goal of better integrating and aligning the firm’s CSR and pro bono efforts and creating an overarching pro bono global framework for the firm;
• Designing a multi-office signature project along with developing a workplan and timeline for it, for a large legal department that is moving from a multi-faceted, low-key pro bono effort to a targeted pro bono program aligned with the company’s strengths and anchored by the legal department;
• Producing a multi-office strategic planning retreat to flesh out a legal department’s revamped and amped up pro bono project; and
• Assisting a law firm in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of its current pro bono governance and staffing structure and designing a more effective pro bono oversight function at the firm.

More than virtually any other type of confidential consultation services provided by the Pro Bono Institute, strategic planning efforts – even those that are limited in scope and focus – require a substantial commitment of time and resources on the part both of PBI and the law firm or legal department requesting assistance, so our availability to provide these services is limited and is available only to Member law firms and to legal departments that support our work.  Undertaking this work may entail on-site visits and other costs that the firm or department must underwrite.  Despite these limitations and restrictions, we believe, based on the success and impact of our efforts to date, that pro bono strategic planning is a vitally important tool in maintaining and enhancing the vitality, performance and impact of pro bono.  If you’re considering undertaking a pro bono strategic planning effort, we’re available to discuss possible approaches and, where appropriate, to provide hands-on help.  Interested law firms should contact Tammy Taylor, while legal departments should contact Eve Runyon.

Has your law firm, legal department, or nonprofit group undertaken a strategic planning process focused on pro bono?  We’d love to hear more about it.

CPBO Spotlight On: LexisNexis Group

LexisNexis is a leading global provider of business information solutions to a wide range of professionals in numerous industries.  Under the leadership of Ken Thompson, a staunch supporter of pro bono, the LexisNexis legal department has undertaken a number of impactful pro bono initiatives.

Southern Africa Litigation Center
In 2007, LexisNexis launched its first pro bono project, which offers support to the Southern Africa Litigation Center (SALC).  SALC trains attorneys, supports human rights cases, and carries out other programs to advance the rule of law.  In partnership with local lawyers and human rights NGOs, SALC identifies the specific constitutional and human rights issues that can be most strategically litigated before domestic courts in southern Africa.  It is especially focused on media freedom cases and on HIV litigation, particularly with regard to discrimination and access to treatment issues for women and children.

A team of five LexisNexis lawyers located across the U.S. provides pro bono legal research assistance to SALC, and addition, LexisNexis has donated six laptop computers and a number of print publications to support these efforts.

Wills For Heroes
For several years, members of the LexisNexis have provided pro bono assistance through the Wills for Heroes program. Wills for Heroes is an organization that provides free wills, living wills, and powers of attorney to first responders and their spouses or domestic partners.  The program was developed in the aftermath of Sept. 11, when it became clear how many first responders lacked simple estate planning documents. 

LexisNexis not only provides pro bono legal services for Wills for Heroes but also computers and technology.  With regard to the administration and institutionalization of the program, HotDocs® software developed by LexisNexis uses document assembly technology to make standardized forms easier to create and use. Product developers at LexisNexis worked with trust and estate planning experts to adapt the technology to create state-specific trust and estate planning templates.  This technology has enabled the expansion of the Wills for Heroes program to lawyers and legal staff across the country. 

Additionally, members of the LexisNexis legal department have volunteered at day-long clinics during which an attorney enters questionnaire data into the HotDocs® program, which then generates a customized estate plan.  The questionnaire also identifies situations in which the first responder should consult an estate planning specialist.  Attorneys review the draft estate planning documents with first responder clients to insure that the documents reflect the first responder’s intent and, once finalized, the documents are signed, witnessed, and notarized in a formal ceremony with LexisNexis volunteers and witnesses.

Since its inception in September 2001, the Wills for Heroes Program, through the use of HotDocs®, has helped more than 8,000 first responders in 13 states. 

Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Program
The LexisNexis legal department has an impact around the world and in its own backyard. Lawyers working at the LexisNexis headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, have partnered with the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Program, which registers private attorneys to provide pro bono civil legal services in civil case areas.  LexisNexis lawyers have taken on a variety of pro bono matters, primarily in the areas of divorce, bankruptcy, custody, consumer issues, and guardianship.

Partnerships at Work: Ford and LAD

Now that you’ve read about the successful pro bono partnership developed by our friends at ExxonMobil and Hunton & Williams LLP*, The PBEye would like to share the story of another important collaboration between Ford Motor Company** and the Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD).

Ford first partnered with LAD in March 2010 to pilot a food stamp clinic.  The clinic seeks to assist the growing number of people living in poverty in Detroit, which recently exceeded 30 percent of the population, resulting in an overwhelming number of food stamp benefit cases being referred to government caseworkers.

During the clinic, Ford attorneys help participants assess their eligibility using an online program to calculate the amount of food stamps the clients should be receiving. The volunteers also assist clinic participants who are eligible for, but not receiving, food stamps, with completing an application.  If a person receives benefits, but the initial screening suggests he or she might qualify for increased benefits, the clinic participant is advised on how to follow-up with Department of Human Services (DHS).  In light of the project’s success, DHS has become a formal partner by having a caseworker on site for some of the clinics.

During the first eighteen months of the program, Ford and LAD hosted six clinics.  Twenty percent of the attorneys in Ford’s Office of the General Counsel have participated in the program, and LAD estimates that the food stamp benefits awarded to clinic participants amount to nearly $61,000.  Each clinic typically assists between 20 and 40 people, and attendance has increased with each event.

On Sept. 14, Ford and LAD expanded the reach of its collaboration by hosting its seventh clinic in a primarily Spanish speaking community in Detroit, using bilingual volunteers from the Ford Hispanic Network and Wayne State Law School to assist with translation.  

These food stamps clinics are highly successful not only because of the need for food stamps, but because they are designed with the needs of the participants in mind.  Among its innovations is the outreach model.  Ford attorneys go to a local school in the community, rather than having clinic participants travel 20 or 30 minutes to Ford’s offices.  The clinics utilize the technology available in the schools to access online applications.  Additionally, the Ford Motor Company Fund has provided a generous grant to LAD that provides money for gas, grocery gift cards, and breakfast to clinic participants.

As a result of Ford’s leadership and good work, LAD intends to expand the program to partner with others.  Keep up the good work, Ford and Legal Aid Defender Association! And to our readers, stay tuned for our next partnership success story.

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

Upcoming Session at the 2012 Annual Conference

Planning is underway for the 2012 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., to be held March 28-30.  One of the highlights is the annual “Marketplace of Ideas” session, a fast-paced opportunity for presenters to share cutting-edge pro bono projects and for attendees to learn about new opportunities, offerings, infrastructure, and other pro bono developments.

Click here to read a summary of the 2011 Marketplace of Ideas presentations.

We look forward to learning more and sharing other ideas and projects at the 2012 Annual Conference.  Those wishing to serve as Marketplace of Ideas presenters may submit brief proposals in advance describing their initiatives, to ensure adequate time and capacity for all presentations.  Please send submissions to Law Firm Pro Bono Project Director Tammy Taylor.

9/11′s Pro Bono Promise

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating September 11 attacks. The consequences of these traumatic events have had lasting effects in both the domestic and international arenas.

In this month’s edition of The Pro Bono Wire, PBI’s President and CEO Esther Lardent discusses some of the more positive changes that the law and the justice system have undergone in response to the impact of one of the worst attacks in American history. She commends the pro bono community for their outstanding efforts to initiate projects to aid the families who had either suffered a traumatic loss or had otherwise been affected by the events that took place on that day. She comments on what touched her the most, saying,

For me, as a life-long pro bono advocate, one of the most striking and moving aspects of the legal community’s response to Sept. 11 was the generosity of spirit and the sense of purpose that informed that response. When we re-opened the Pro Bono Institute’s offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., . . . we were flooded with calls and e-mails from lawyers and law firms all over the country demanding to know how they could help.

While she believes that the events of that fateful day “were a catalyst for the robust and creative pro bono culture we see today”, she urges the pro bono community to go further with their efforts. She applauds the groups who are currently working to transform September 11 into a day of service, but endeavors for more. Instead, she advocates for the full funding for the Legal Services Corporation, urging the legal community to “be the problem-solvers and peace-makers that we were on Sept. 11.”  Involving oneself in pro bono matters needs no specific date or time, but merely the will to come to the rescue of the poor and disadvantaged.

To read Lardent’s full letter click here.

Chicago Firms Tackle Pro Bono Strategically

The PBEye was delighted to see a recent article in Chicago Lawyer Magazine highlighting Chicago-based law firms committed to making pro bono an institutional priority.  The article cites the findings from the 2010 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Report, and how these firms have responded to the “ebb and flow” of attorneys’ pro bono participation over time.  The firms quoted in the article include DLA Piper LLP*, Holland & Knight LLP*, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Mayer Brown LLP*, SNR Denton*, and Winston & Strawn LLP*.

The article highlights three strategic tactics to increase pro bono participation at large law firms: professionalization of pro bono/recognition of pro bono as a practice group and the importance of an institution-wide commitment to pro bono; the value of aligning pro bono with associate training; and partnering with other firms and organizations in large-scale, high-impact projects.

The PBEye is happy to see law firms taking the recommendations of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project to heart.  If you would like advice or assessment of your firm’s pro bono program, please contact Tammy Taylor.  Expert consultative services are one of the many benefits of Law Firm Pro Bono Project Membership – sign up today!

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

Global Pro Bono in Denver

Our friends at CPBO are excited to announce a new session during the Association of Corporate Counsel** Annual Meeting this October in Denver— “Exploring an Innovative Legal Engagement Tool: Global Pro Bono.”  New to ACC’s Annual Meeting line-up, this interactive session will explore the intersection of global corporate citizenship and engagement within a legal department, paying particular attention to how global pro bono can be used as a tool to stimulate and engage experienced and knowledgeable legal staff.  Topics of discussion will include:

• What accounts for the increased interest among legal departments in global pro bono?
• What are some examples of successful global pro bono projects?
• What are the benefits of global pro bono work? What are the concerns?
• What will global pro bono look like in the future?

Highly-regarded panelists include Bruce Ives, vice president and deputy general counsel at Hewlett-Packard**, Esteban Mazzucco, international senior corporate counsel at The Clorox International Company**, and Michael Sposato, deputy general counsel at Caterpillar Inc**.  The session will take place during the conference on October 25,  from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. 

To find out more about the session or to learn about global pro bono opportunities for in-house legal departments, contact Eve Runyon, director of CPBO.  CPBO looks forward to seeing you in Denver!

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

Russia’s Pro Bono Revolution

Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow. Photo courtesy of Jessica Sarra.

Until a few years ago, pro bono was a largely unfamiliar concept in Russia.  According to an article in The Moscow Times, Russia’s recent pro bono revolution comes at an opportune time when Russian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are in dire need of legal support:

The legal environment for NGOs has become more challenging.  New registration requirements and complex tax regulations have  added a heavy burden to NGO operations, and securing access to affordable legal support is now critical to strengthening civil society.  It is here that both international and local firms can have the greatest impact.

Over the past few years, pro bono lawyers from Clifford Chance and other Russia-based law firms have partnered with United Way of Russia and the Global Network for Public Interest Law (PILnet) to deliver a series of legal seminars to Russian NGOs.  “In our experience, the benefit is not only to the individual or organization on the receiving end of the support,” said Clifford Chance Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Tatiana Pesotskaya. “Our lawyers frequently cite the sense of personal pride that comes from their pro bono engagements and the value of the long-term relationships it builds with those they work with on these types of initiatives.”  Already, 714 participants from 438 NGOs have benefitted from the pro bono legal workshops.

Shrewdly, Russia isn’t relying exclusively on pro bono to meet the legal needs of its most indigent and vulnerable people.  Over the past five years, pilot legal aid bureaus and government-funded civil legal aid schemes have cropped up in a number of localities. And, a bill submitted to the Duma earlier this summer sets forth a model for the development of a Russia-wide free legal aid system, with a distinct role for the private bar.

Kudos from The PBEye to Russia’s legal community for its commitment to institutionalizing pro bono and enhancing access to justice.

Be sure to drop us a comment if you’re in the know about promising pro bono rumblings abroad.