On July 17, 2009, Corporate Pro Bono, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Southern California (SoCal) Chapter, the Public Law Center, the Volunteer Center Orange County, and Dorsey & Whitney LLP hosted the SoCal Onsite Pro Bono Clinic in a Box℠.  Thanks to the hard work and planning of all of the partnership organizations, the SoCal Clinic was one of the most successful to date, attracting 41 volunteer attorneys and 14 local nonprofit organizations.  The volunteer attorneys represented many corporate legal departments, including Ingram Micro Inc., Intel Corporation, FedEx, and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.  The volunteers represented a number of different practice specialties as well, including employment, intellectual property, and contracts.

Held at the Dorsey & Whitney offices, the SoCal Clinic consisted of two sessions.  The first session, led by attorneys from Dorsey, provided training on the legal needs of nonprofit organizations.  To ensure that both the volunteers and clients had the best experience possible, these expert attorneys graciously 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, which would have otherwise been unable to obtain needed legal advice, were local organizations serving many communities and interests, including helping families in Mexico, empowering international women formerly enslaved in prostitution, and identifying and assisting leaders in low-income areas.  During the consultation, the volunteers conducted a legal audit of the nonprofits to ensure they were in good legal health and addressed more specific legal needs.  Many attorneys chose to continue providing pro bono services to the nonprofit to which they were assigned.  Dorsey attorneys will provide any additional follow-up services the nonprofits may need.

Dorsey & Whitney attorneys Jessica Linehan, Parker Schweich, and Bryan Gadol conducted the training session for which volunteers received CLE credit.  The firm also developed comprehensive training materials for the volunteers.  These materials will prove invaluable for those attorneys who wish to continue working with the nonprofit to which they were assigned or those who wish to otherwise provide pro bono services to nonprofits.

For more information about Clinic in a Box℠, or to learn about other resources CPBO has to offer, please contact Eve Runyon, director of CPBO, at cpbo@acc.org or visit the CPBO website.

Developed by Corporate Pro Bono
A global partnership project of the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel
www.cpbo.org