On June 1, 2009, the Hildebrandt Institute and the Pro Bono Institute, through Corporate Pro Bono, its partnership project with the Association of Corporate Counsel, sponsored an interactive virtual seminar on how to use pro bono partnerships to improve relationships between law firms and in-house legal departments.  Pro Bono Institute’s President and CEO, Esther Lardent, served as a panelist for the June webinar, titled “Putting the Values in Value: Using Pro Bono to Enhance Inside-Outside Counsel Relationships.”

Not only has pro bono become a watchword and a shared value among in-house legal departments, it is now an essential criteria for Corporate Counsel magazine’s “Best Legal Department” Award.  Exelon Corporation, a Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠, was recently selected by Corporate Counsel as one of two finalists for its fourth annual Best Legal Department 2009 award.  Under the helm of Executive Vice President and General Counsel William Von Hoene, Jr., Exelon has expanded its legal department’s commitment to pro bono and diversity, making them two of his department’s top priorities.  It is this commitment, among other strengths, that made Exelon a contender for this honor.  

LexisNexis, a Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠, has launched the LexisNexis® Associates Serving Public Interests Research (ASPIRE) program in response to the growing number of law firms that are delaying the start dates of new associates. As a way to make the transitional year more effective, ASPIRE extends complimentary access to LexisNexis services, including federal and state case law as well as online training materials, to those associates who elect to work at a public interest organization during their deferral time. ASPIRE will help equip these associates with the necessary tools to flourish in the non-profit field.

On Thursday, April 2, 2009, Esther F. Lardent, President and CEO of the Pro Bono Institute, participated in an International Pro Bono Opportunities panel at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (City Bar). Facilitated by the City Bar’s Pro Bono and Legal Services Committee, along with Ms. Lardent, panel members included Edwin Rekosh, Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Institute and Jean Berman of the International Senior Lawyers Project, among others. Madeleine Schachter, Special Counsel, Pro Bono at Baker & McKenzie LLP, moderated the panel.

Earlier this month, I participated in two moving events that, while not directly related to pro bono service as we in the legal profession would define it, provided important lessons and opportunities for the future of pro bono.  On May 18, I traveled to Boston to see my friend and mentor Brooksley Born receive one of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library’s Profile in Courage awards.  Created in 1989 by members of President Kennedy’s family, the award annually honors public servants who have demonstrated the political courage to do what is right, rather than what is expedient.  In addition to highlighting the work of extraordinary women in Nigeria who brought peace and a freely-elected government to that troubled nation, this year’s awards went to two lawyers – Brooksley, who served as Chair of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in the late 1990’s and Sheila Bair, now Chairman of the FDIC.  Both issued unpopular warnings about, respectively, unregulated financial contracts, such as derivatives and credit default swaps, and the dangers of the subprime lending bubble in housing – two conditions that were responsible, in great part, for the current economic meltdown.  These two women dared to defy conventional wisdom, as voiced by the most powerful and respected government officials in the administration and Congress, and, in doing so, faced unease, resistance, and even enmity in the political and business spheres.

The Roundtable and Networking Dinner hosted on March 5, 2009, during the 2009 Forum for In-house Corporate Pro Bono again presented some of the most valuable sessions for in-house counsel starting, developing and expanding their legal pro bono programs. The sessions dealt with many of the challenges corporate legal departments’ pro bono programs are facing in the current economy and offered an informal and friendly environment for in-house counsel to exchange information and ideas on in-house pro bono.

One indication of the increased pro bono involvement of legal departments is the cover story of the February 2009 Inside Counsel magazine, which features a detailed piece on pro bono by in-house counsel – “Paying it Forward.” The article includes a thought-provoking interview with the President and CEO of the Pro Bono Institute, Esther F. Lardent, and highlights the tremendous breakthroughs corporations have made in the provision of pro bono services and the numerous benefits they have gained from developing pro bono projects. The innovative and well-crafted pro bono programs of several Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠ Signatories were highlighted:

The Awards Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation has chosen the winner of the Citizens Bank Pro Bono Award for 2008 to be presented at the 30th Anniversary Andrew Hamilton Gala on November 1, 2008. The recipient of this prestigious award is the PECO Legal Department for demonstrating outstanding volunteer efforts in providing legal services to those in need. PECO is the first corporate legal department to receive the Award.

Imagine that you are fifteen years old, and you have made the painful decision to flee your home country because your parents have abused you for years and no one has come to your aid.  You reach the United States, but instead of finding safety you are placed in a jail cell.  You don’t speak English.  The guards do not speak Spanish.  No one seems to care if you live or die.  You then must go to immigration court – alone – terrified what the judge will decide.  Will you be allowed to stay in the U.S., or will you be sent back to face the dangers in your home country?