Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) participated in several Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chapter pro bono events over the last few months. On October 29, 2009, the Charlotte ACC Chapter held a Pro Bono Forum. The Pro Bono Forum was an informative gathering designed to highlight opportunities available to in-house counsel to provide pro bono legal services. The event addressed several issues faced by in-house counsel, including state licensure questions and professional liability insurance concerns. In addition to CPBO, Street Law, Private Attorney Involvement/Legal Aid of North Carolina, and Mecklenburg County Bar Volunteer Lawyer Program participated. More than 20 ACC members attended.
On November 4, 2009, CPBO, ACC’s Greater New York Chapter, Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Nixon Peabody LLP hosted the Greater New York Onsite Pro Bono Clinic – CPBO’s Clinic in a Box℠. The Clinic attracted 27 volunteer attorneys and 18 local nonprofit organizations. The volunteer attorneys represented many corporate legal departments, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, PR Newswire Association LLC, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Held at the Nixon Peabody offices, the Greater New York Clinic consisted of two sessions. The first session, lead by expert attorneys from Nixon Peabody, provided training on the legal needs of nonprofit organizations. These expert attorneys also made themselves available throughout the second session to answer any questions the volunteers may have had. During the second session, the volunteer attorneys met with the nonprofits to provide pro bono legal help. The nonprofits were local organizations serving economically distressed people and communities, including helping children from low-income areas, securing housing for low-income individuals, and assisting the elderly. The volunteers conducted a legal audit of the nonprofits to ensure they were in good legal health and addressed some of their more specific legal needs. These nonprofits would have otherwise been unable to obtain needed legal advice.
On November 17, 2009, Philadelphia Law Works, a project of Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program that focuses on community economic development, hosted its sixth annual Corporate Pro Bono Day. Co-sponsored by the ACC’s Delaware Valley Chapter, Eckert Seamans LLP, and CPBO, Corporate Pro Bono Day provided over 30 in-house counsel the opportunity to provide valuable legal assistance to over 25 small businesses in need. Corporate Pro Bono Day is a popular clinic that attracts many repeat volunteers, including counsel from legal departments such as Exelon Corporation, The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack, and Ikon Office Solutions, Inc. Corporate Pro Bono Day is based on CPBO’s “Clinic in a Box”℠ model, and was held at the Enterprise Center, a minority business development center located in the historic American Bandstand Building in West Philadelphia. The first session provided the in-house volunteers with training on legal issues that may impact small businesses, including general business, tax, real estate, labor and employment, and intellectual property. The second session allowed the in-house volunteers to consult with Philadelphia-area small businesses on issues requiring assistance.
CPBO is pleased to have participated in these informative and rewarding pro bono events. To learn more about these events and other upcoming pro bono opportunities, please visit the CPBO website or contact Eve Runyon, CPBO director.
Developed by Corporate Pro Bono
A global partnership project of the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel
www.cpbo.org