The PBEye
October 2, 2012
On September 20, CPBO co-hosted a Clinic in a Box® program with Capital One Financial Corp. andTroutman Sanders LLP*†. Twenty-eight volunteers from Capital One’s legal department and nine local nonprofit organizations participated in the clinic at the Richmond, Va., office of Troutman Sanders, overlooking the beautiful James River.
The Clinic began with 90 minutes of training from experts at Troutman Sanders on legal issues affecting nonprofit organizations, including presentations on labor and employment, intellectual property, real estate, corporate, and tax law. Full of this new knowledge and with a binder of resources at hand, the Capital One volunteers, in teams of lawyers and other professional staff, then met with representatives from the nonprofit clients to conduct a legal audit. Over the course of several hours, volunteers reviewed a ten-step checklist with their clients, which was developed by CPBO and updated by Troutman Sanders to reflect Virginia laws.
During the clinic, Capital One presented the trainers from Troutman Sanders and the CPBO team with a token of their appreciation featuring a motto of the Capital One pro bono program: “little time, big impact.” It was certainly true that day, as volunteers spent a mere morning working but were able to advise the nonprofit clients on a broad range of topics to ensure that each nonprofit operates better to serve their local communities. The missions of the nonprofit organizations at the clinic range from providing health care and basic human services to those in need of assistance to preserving historic properties.
The event was appreciated by all. The clients and volunteers spoke highly of their experience at the Clinic. One client noted, “Thank you for providing this clinic. It was extremely helpful and informative. The attorneys I worked with were very knowledgeable and professional.” One of the volunteers said, “Great program and opportunity to engage with a non-profit that would not otherwise be available. The training was very helpful for issue spotting and assisting the client. Audit checklist was very helpful in working thru many relevant issues.”
Click to read recaps about recent Clinic in a Box® programs held in Minneapolis,Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
To learn more about the Clinic in a Box® model, or to inquire about hosting a Clinic, contact CPBO Director Eve Runyon.
* denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®
† denotes a Member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project