Snack and Socialize at the 2018 Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (Part Four)

The PBEye recently provided a preview of the public interest organizations that will be featured during the Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (February 22, 3:45 to 5:00 p.m.) at the 2018 PBI Annual Conference.

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.  We are excited to conclude our preview with these additional hosts:

• California Lawyers for the Arts
• Kids in Need of Defense, Inc. (KIND)
• Lambda Legal
• Louisiana Civil Justice Center
• National Women’s Law Center
• Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
• The Human Trafficking Legal Center

Click here for a current list of all host organizations. We hope to see you next week!

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

Conference Sneak Peek: First Do No Harm: Emerging Ethics Issues in Immigration Pro Bono

The 2018 PBI Annual Conference is less than two weeks away. Join us on February 22, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., for First Do No Harm: Emerging Ethics Issues in Immigration Pro Bono. The increase in enforcement activity and use of detention pose new ethical concerns for practitioners. How do you evaluate whether the risks of applying for a particular benefit, even before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), outweigh the possible gain? When is it better to leave well enough alone? What if the only choices are between two risky options? How do you handle the duty of confidentiality when some of the risks are to non-client family members? How to answer the “what if” questions if the answers mean your client may not appear for a hearing or interview?  Who makes the decision about how to proceed, especially if your client is a child? Can any pro bono volunteer satisfy the duty of competence in this climate?

We are grateful to our panel of experts who will be sharing their experiences and expertise:

• Karen Grisez, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson*†
• Karen Lucas, American Immigration Council
• Nirupa Nayaran, Kids in Need of Defense, Inc. (KIND)

Interested in learning more?  Check out episodes of the Pro Bono Happy Hour, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast; including Karen Grisez’s recent episode and our episode featuring KIND. Subscribe to the Pro Bono Happy Hour in Apple Podcasts and check out links to recent episodes here.

Curious about KIND and the American Immigration Council? Visit their tables at our Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour later in the day from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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

Snack and Socialize at the 2018 Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (Part Three)

Have you heard? Our 2018 Annual Conference is right around the corner! The PBEye recently provided a preview of the public interest organizations that will be hosting tables and ready to mix and mingle with attendees during the Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (February 22, 3:45 to 5:00 p.m.).

Table hosts will share emerging issues, strategies, and innovations; answer questions; and provide valuable insights into cutting-edge pro bono opportunities available to your law firm or legal department. This is a unique time to make connections, forge productive relationships and partnerships with public interest organizations from across the U.S. and around the world, and develop impactful new pro bono initiatives.  We are excited to continue our preview of this year’s EXPO hosts. Meet and connect with these table hosts:

• Animal Legal Defense Fund
• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Bet Tzedek
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• Fundación ProBono Colombia
• Lawyers Clearinghouse
• The Chicago Bar Foundation
• The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program

Make sure to check The PBEye in the coming weeks for more table hosts!

Don’t miss your last chance to save hundreds of dollars on regular registration rates before they increase tomorrow. Register today! If you have any questions about the Conference or need assistance with registration, please email events@probonoinst.org or call 202.370.6770.

Snack and Socialize at the 2018 Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (Part Two)

The PBEye recently provided a preview of the public interest organizations that will be featured during the Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour (February 22, 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. at the 2018 PBI Annual Conference.

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.  We are excited to continue our preview of this year’s sneak peek. Additional table hosts include:

• Alameda County Bar Association
• International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
• Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
• National Juvenile Defender Center
• Public Counsel
• Swords to Plowshares
• The Florida Bar Foundation

Make sure to check back over the coming weeks for additional table hosts!

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

Conference Sneak Peek: Pro Bono in the UK

The 2018 PBI Annual Conference is next month and one of this year’s highlights is a session about pro bono and legal needs in the United Kingdom.

Pro Bono in the UK is designed for law firm attendees who are interested in how to get their UK lawyers involved in pro bono. Join us on February 21, from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., to discuss pro bono opportunities in the United Kingdom. Curious about Brexit?  Vaguely familiar with the Collaborative Plan?  Concerned about legal aid funding in the UK and what that means for unmet legal needs and priorities? This session will explore these questions and more! We are grateful to our panel of experts who will be sharing their experiences and expertise:

• Rebecca Greenhalgh, Ashurst†
• Suzie Turner, Dechert*
• Paul Yates, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer†

Interested in learning more?  Check out episodes of the Pro Bono Happy Hour, the Law Firm Pro Bono Project’s podcast; featuring guests from across the pond:  Rebecca Naylor of Reed Smith*† and Nic Patrick of DLA Piper*†. You can subscribe to the Pro Bono Happy Hour in Apple Podcasts and links to all of the episodes can be found here.

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

* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® signatory

† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project^® member

Snack and Socialize at the 2018 Pro Bono EXPO and Happy Hour

Want to network with leaders from legal services and public interest organizations? The 2018 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.  Table hosts include:

• ABA Death Penalty Representation Project
• Appleseed
• Inner City Law Center
• National Veterans Legal Services Program
• The Arc
• We the Action

Check back for additional table hosts over the coming weeks!

This year’s EXPO and Happy Hour will take place from 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on February 22. 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.

Welcome to Law Firm Pro Bono!

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? 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 2018? If so, we have a special pre-Conference session just for you! Join us bright and early on February 21 for Law Firm Pro Bono 101 to jumpstart the 2018 PBI Annual Conference.

Leading a law firm pro bono program can be overwhelming, particularly for those new to the position or leading a program going through a reboot. We can help! Attend Law Firm Pro Bono 101 – a crash course on the basics of structuring, implementing, and administering successful law firm pro bono programs – to get all the information you need. Law Firm Pro Bono Project staff members will share valuable resources available to you and discuss the variety of support services available from the Project year-round. You’ll also receive individualized tips for navigating the Conference. This interactive pre-Conference session is particularly helpful for first-time attendees. What would you like to learn at Law Firm Pro Bono 101? Let us know!

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what an attendee from last year’s session had to say about the program: “This was an inspiring session, particularly as someone new to the space. It was thoughtful and an excellent job all around. Very helpful for people who are new to the pro bono game.”

Pre-registration is required. The discounted, early-bird registration rate expires on January 5, so be sure to register today. 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’ll see you there!

Mix and Mingle at the 2018 Pro Bono EXPO

The 2018 PBI Annual Conference, which will be held on February 21-22 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., is just a few short months away! In addition to thought-provoking and inspiring sessions and programs, we are excited to present 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. Seize this unique opportunity to network, forge productive relationships and partnerships with public interest organizations from across the U.S. and around the globe, 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 February 22. See you there!

Are there particular organizations or topics you would like to see represented at the EXPO? Would you 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 email events@proboninst.org or call 202.370.6770.

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

And the Winner Is…

CPBO will present the 2017 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awards, recognizing innovative team approaches to pro bono work involving in-house legal departments, at PBI’s Annual Dinner, on September 28. The PBEye is proud to congratulate the recipients:

• CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award – Small Law: Alcoa Corporation and Arconic Inc. in partnership with Meyer, Unkovic & Scott for their work on the Landlord Tenant Project; and
• CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award – Large Law: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated** and Connecticut Veterans Legal Center on their project, “Review-A-Rama.”

Pro Bono Partner Award – Small Law

The Landlord Tenant Project (Project) assists low-income individuals facing landlord-tenant and other housing legal issues. These issues are of paramount importance in focusing on a basic need of all people: safe and affordable housing. Through the Project, volunteers represent families and individuals at housing denial hearings, and staff a hotline which provides advice and, when appropriate, brief services.

Pro Bono Partner Award – Large Law

Review-A-Rama engages members of the UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UHG) Legal, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs Department (LCRA) to review massive files of medical and military documents and provide detailed summaries to Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) attorneys who represent veterans in disability benefit claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As a result of Review-A-Rama and UHG’s efforts, CVLC is able to offer full-scope representation to more veterans in need.

The PBEye congratulates the CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award recipients on their continued dedication to increasing access to justice, and looks forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the PBI Annual Dinner! If you are interested in supporting the Annual Dinner, please contact Kelly Simon (202.729.6691) for more information. We hope to see you there!