Legal Gives Back to the Community

Bill Donohue, assistant general counsel of Exelon, coordinated the Philadelphia Onsite Pro Bono Clinic for the second consecutive year on Sept. 22, enabling 13 small minority and financially challenged small businesses to obtain free legal counsel from volunteer attorneys.

The clinic is a program run by the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program to assist nonprofits and small businesses with economic development. Donohue chairs the Pro Bono committee of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel that advertised the clinic to members. The event was co-sponsored by DELVACCA and CorporateProBono.Org and held at the MOB.

The clinic attracted 17 legal professionals from nine Delaware Valley companies. The volunteers attended a morning education session on various legal issues particularly pertinent to small businesses led by the Duane Morris law firm. Participants received continuing legal education credit, an annual requirement for attorneys in Pennsylvania to maintain their law licenses. One-on-one meetings with the small business participants followed, none of which had the means to obtain legal advice.

"This is a great opportunity for lawyers to give back to the community," said Donohue. "I am especially proud that so many members of Exelon's legal staff made the time and effort to participate." Of the 17 professionals participating, nine were from Exelon. Volunteers included attorneys Donohue, Ed Cullen, Jesse Rodriguez, Jenny Shulbank, Kevin Stepanuk, and Ron Zack and paralegals Marcia McGriff, Diane McMullen, and Maryellen White.

Exelon's legal department has a long-standing tradition of providing "pro bono" (free) legal services and support to the community thanks to the encouragement and support of Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Integration Officer Randy Mehrberg and Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel William Von Hoene. Through the first half of this year over 300 hours of pro bono service have been provided in matters including amnesty, support of the arts, better housing, domestic violence, tax assistance, special education, land conservation and senior citizen issues. Numerous additional hours have been spent on a variety of legal education programs for elementary through senior high schools.