We Have a New Look and New Address!

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
– John F. Kennedy

This week we released our new brand identity including a new logo for Pro Bono Institute (PBI), Law Firm Pro Bono Project, and Corporate Pro Bono, a global partnership project of PBI and Association of Corporate Counsel. Our new look reflects our bold, innovative mission and the past 20 years of transforming the pro bono landscape with you.

You’ll see the new branding on our correspondence, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. Curious about our logo’s history? Check out this video on the evolution of our logo.

We’ve also moved! Although we were sad to leave Farragut North, we are getting settled in a new space at Metro Center: 1001 G St., NW, Suite 305 West, Washington, DC 20001.  Next time you are in the area for a game or concert at the Capitol One Arena, grabbing a bite in Chinatown or strolling around the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, be sure to stop by and visit.

Our new look and space enhance our commitment to transform pro bono with you. Thank you for strengthening access to justice through pro bono!

PBI’s 2017 Annual Dinner is Tonight

PBI is excited to host our Annual Dinner at Gotham Hall in New York City tonight! This year’s theme“Strengthening Access to Justice” features speakers sure to inspire all who attend. Attendees will hear remarks from special guest Charles Johnson, who was wrongfully convicted of a double murder in Chicago, and served 20 years of a life sentence. With pro bono assistance from 2017 John H. Pickering Award recipient Kirkland & Ellis*† and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Johnson’s conviction was vacated in July 2016. Later that year, he was released from prison. Another highlight of tonight’s event will be a musical performance by another Kirkland pro bono client Diverse Concert Artists, a group “committed to diversity in classical and crossover music.”

We are also proud to present the 2017 CPBO Partner Award: Large Law to UnitedHealth Group Incorporated** in partnership with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and the 2017 CPBO Partner Award: Small Law to Arconic Inc. and Alcoa Corporation in partnership with Meyer, Unkovic & Scott for their commitment to pro bono.

In addition to our inspiring speakers, we thank our co-chairs, Laureen E. Seeger, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of American Express Company, Tony West, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PepsiCo, Inc.**, and David Zapolsky, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Amazon.com, Inc. **

Be sure to follow the festivities tonight by checking out posts tagged with #PBIDinner2017 and #ProBonoProud and by following us @ProBonoInst on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube where we will be posting videos of tonight’s events.

*  denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® signatory

†  denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project^® member

** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge^® signatory

Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast, Special Edition: DACA

PBI recently released a special edition of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, in response to the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President and CEO Eve Runyon also released a statement about PBI’s support for our stakeholders who are providing legal assistance to DACA recipients and other immigrants.

In this episode, we talk with Chris Marquardt of Alston & Bird*†, David March of the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council, and Liz Markuci of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) about the impacts the cancellation of DACA will have on immigrant communities and their own personal experiences and reflections. They also offer meaningful ways that pro bono attorneys can get involved and be of assistance right now. Take 35 minutes to listen to our conversation.

Subscribe to the Pro Bono Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and be sure to leave a review. We’d appreciate the feedback and it would help us expand the conversation about pro bono and access to justice. The podcast is also available on YouTube. Links to all of our episodes can be found here.

* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® signatory

† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project^® member

Summer at PBI

From left to right: Madeline Jenks, Kelsey Muniz, Sahil Shah, and Erin Killeen.

Summer is flying by and The PBEye would like to thank our Sheehan Scholars and interns for their hard work over the past few months.

This summer, we welcomed our eighth class of Sheehan Scholars: Madeline Jenks (Harvard Law School) and Erin Killeen (Georgetown University Law Center). Bob Sheehan, who oversees the pro bono program at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom*†, former Executive Partner (1994-2009) and Co-Chair of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project Advisory Committee (2001-2015), and his family provided the financial support to launch this program in 2010, which has been named in his honor in recognition of his extraordinary pro bono leadership. We are grateful to the Sheehan family for their generosity and to Erin and Madeline for spending their summers with us. They were joined by two terrific undergraduates from the University of Michigan: Kelsey Muniz and Sahil Shah.

Our interns and Sheehan Scholars worked on a variety of projects – large and small – and you will continue to see the fruits of their labors in the weeks and months ahead. We are grateful for their diligence, dedication, and energy, and fresh perspectives. We are also appreciative of the firms and individuals who supported our summer program by inviting our interns and staff to events and donating time to provide additional professional development opportunities. And stay tuned: you’ll be hearing more about their time at PBI on an upcoming episode of our Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast.

* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® signatory
† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project^® member

2017 PBI Annual Conference: Pro Bono Expo and Happy Hour

Want to network with leaders from legal services and public interest organizations? The 2017 PBI Annual Conference will be here before we know it and we are excited to provide a preview of this year’s Pro Bono Expo and Happy Hour.

Table hosts will share emerging issues, strategies, and innovations; answer questions; and provide information about cutting-edge pro bono opportunities available to your law firm or legal department. This is a unique time to mingle, forge productive relationships and partnerships with public interest organizations from across the U.S. and around the world, and develop new pro bono initiatives.

This year’s Expo and Happy Hour will take place from 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on March 9. Click here for a current list of host organizations. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions about the Conference or need assistance with registration, please email events@probonoinst.org or call 202.370.6770.

New to Law Firm Pro Bono?

Has your firm, of more than 50 lawyers, recently created or restructured a formal pro bono program? Is your firm planning to do so in 2017? Are you a newly appointed managing partner, practice group or office leader, pro bono committee chair or member, pro bono partner, counsel, director, manager, or coordinator? If so, join us bright and early on March 8 for Law Firm Pro Bono 101 to jumpstart the 2017 PBI Annual Conference.

We know that leading a law firm pro bono program can be overwhelming, particularly when you are relatively new to the position or if the program is undergoing a reboot, and we are here to help. Law Firm Pro Bono 101 offers a crash course on the basics of structuring, implementing, and administering successful law firm pro bono programs. Law Firm Pro Bono Project staff members will also be available to introduce attendees to the resources and support available from the Project year round and to provide participants individualized tips for navigating the Conference in order to maximize the experience. This interactive pre-Conference session is particularly helpful for first-time attendees.

Pre-registration is required for this program. If you have any questions about the Conference, or need assistance with registration, please email events@probonoinst.org or call 202.370.6770.

Don’t miss out on this popular session. We hope to see you there!

Tapping Transitioning Baby-Boomers to Transform Pro Bono Work

Second Acts^® is PBI’s innovative initiative to support transitioning and retired lawyers who are interested in second, volunteer careers in pro bono and public interest law. Despite the ongoing social justice gap for low-income and underserved populations, this seasoned and knowledgeable talent pool has been largely overlooked. In an effort to develop a bold, new model of legal retirement, we are working with our core constituencies, major law firms, in-house legal departments, and public interest organizations, to develop replicable projects that make strategic use of these experienced attorneys.

Interested in sharing your law firm’s practices and your thoughts about how firms can incentivize their senior and retiring partners to do pro bono work? Contact Law Firm Project Assistant Elysse DeRita to participate in our brief Second Acts® survey. All answers are confidential and your responses will not be identified in the resulting data set or its analysis.

In case you missed it, check out our op-ed in The American Lawyer to learn more about PBI’s Second Acts® efforts (subscription required).

2017 Pro Bono Expo

The 2017 PBI Annual Conference, which will be held on March 8-10 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., is around the corner. In addition to thought-provoking and inspiring sessions and programs, we are excited about the popular Pro Bono Expo. A variety of prominent organizations will be hosting tables, and their expert representatives will share emerging issues, strategies, and innovations, answer questions, and provide information about cutting-edge pro bono opportunities available to your law firm or legal department. This is a unique opportunity to network, forge productive relationships and partnerships with public interest organizations from across the U.S. and around the world, and develop major pro bono initiatives. This year’s Expo and happy hour will take place from 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on March 9. We hope to see you there.

Are there any particular organizations or topics you would like to see represented at the Expo? Would your public interest legal services organization like to apply to host a table? Space is limited, so please email Law Firm Pro Bono Project Assistant, Elysse DeRita soon with your suggestions or for more information. If you have questions about the Conference or need assistance with registration, please events@proboninst.org or call 202.370.6770.

Celebrating the First Anniversary of the Pro Bono Happy Hour

On October 1, 2015, PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project launched the Pro Bono Happy Hour, a weekly podcast offering a smart, fresh, creative take on pro bono and featuring lively conversations about law firm pro bono, news, and best practices.

Since the podcast’s inception, we have interviewed insightful and entertaining expert guests from Law Firm Project member firms and Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® signatories.  Law firms featured on our podcast include:

Subscribe to the Pro Bono Happy Hour in iTunes. Have you rated us on iTunes yet? Would you consider doing it now? Leave a review by October 31 and you will be entered into our podcast review contest. Winners will be announced on the show. The podcast is also available on YouTube. Links to all of our episodes can be found here. Celebrate our paper anniversary and join the conversation today!

Listen along and let us know what you think. Send your anniversary wishes, comments, thoughts, feedback, questions, and suggestions to probono@probonoinst.org. Be warned: we might just read them on the air.

Making Democracy Work

Voting is at the heart of our democracy, yet our voting system remains deeply flawed. A number of prominent civil rights and public interest groups are leading non-partisan efforts to ensure that every eligible voter can vote and that every proper vote is counted.

Pro bono lawyers are often at the forefront of legal efforts to cure legal flaws in the system, which threaten the accuracy, legitimacy, and fairness of the voting process. Lawyers have important roles to play at all levels of the election protection and reform processes – crafting legislation, enforcing voting laws, researching legal developments, monitoring the election process for unlawful behavior, representing eligible individual voters, and aiding local, state, and national organizations in bringing impact litigation to challenge unconstitutional election laws. The range of pro bono opportunities is broad and deep, with meaningful options for both small and large-scale projects and those that would appeal to litigators and non-litigators.

Want to get involved and make a difference this election year? PBI has three new resources to help you navigate election-related pro bono opportunities:

Listen to our latest webinar, Best of the 2016 PBI Annual Conference: The Challenges of Citizenship: Election-Related Pro Bono Opportunities (Pro Bono in Practice), which is now available on-demand.  This program explores how pro bono efforts play an important role at all levels of the voting rights and reform processes on Election Day and all year round. Jennifer Brown, Morrison & Foerster*†, Ezra Rosenberg, The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Chris Walters, Reed Smith*† discuss emerging issues, how to get started, opportunities for collaboration, and a range of pro bono options.

Check out a special episode of our podcast, the Pro Bono Happy Hour, about Election Protection. PBI talks to Nancy Anderson and Arusha Gordon, The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about the national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition and how pro bono lawyers can advance and defend the right to vote.

Visit our Resource Clearinghouse to access our updated publication, Facing the Challenges of Citizenship: Election-Related Pro Bono Opportunities, which explores pro bono opportunities available during and in-between major national election cycles.

For assistance accessing the webinar, podcast, or Resource Clearinghouse, please contact Law Firm Project Assistant Elysse DeRita.

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

† denotes a member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project