Conference Sneak Peek: Law Firms Collaborating for Justice
The 2016 PBI Annual Conference is quickly approaching and one of this year’s highlights for law firm attendees is a session about collaborating on large-scale, multi-firm pro bono efforts.
Working Together: A Case Study in Collaborative Law Firm Pro Bono will feature an ambitious multi-firm effort to assist Indian citizens in pursuing claims of labor trafficking. After a federal judge refused to let the Southern Poverty Law Center’s law suit against Signal International, a marine services company that defrauded and exploited workers from India, go forward as a class action, nearly a dozen large law firms agreed to represent individuals on a pro bono basis. We encourage law firm attendees to join us on March 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to learn about issues such as overcoming obstacles to collaboration, including joint ownership versus individual “credit,” disagreements over strategy, maximizing institutional resources and infrastructure while streamlining administration, use of technology, the role of public interest partners, and sustaining interest.
For additional background, check out our interview with John Fleming of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan*† on the Pro Bono Happy Hour, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast featuring lively conversations about law firm pro bono, news, and best practices. John, who will be a panelist for the Conference session, discusses how Sutherland got involved, what it was like collaborating with other law firms, and more. You can subscribe to the Pro Bono Happy Hour in iTunes and links to all of the episodes can be found here.
If you have questions about the Conference or need assistance with registration, please email us or call 202.973.8720. We look forward to seeing you in March!
* denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®
† denotes a Member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project
