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.

The discussion opened with very brief remarks on international issues in the context of cross-border work, work in countries outside of the United States, and general work on international issues. Panelists then offered comments on their respective organizations and discussed models for pro bono work. The panel concluded with a conversation on trends in global pro bono and reasonable expectations of volunteers in this arena. The audience, which was comprised of lawyers who have a deep interest in global pro bono from around the New York City area, participated in a lively and informative discussion.

The Pro Bono Institute featured a session on this topic at its recent Seminar/Forum, held on March 5 – 7 in Washington, DC. The session – Developments in Global Pro Bono – focused on the expansion and growth in global and international pro bono. Presenters Edwin Rekosh, along with Manfred Gabriel, Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP, and Odette Geldenhuys, Director of ProBono.org in South Africa, spoke about extensive programs that now exist in countries that lacked pro bono opportunities until just a few years ago, including Hungary, Russia and China. Geldenhuys further detailed the state of pro bono in South Africa and how, even though the pro bono culture is not completely established, pro bono has grown over the past few years.

For more information on international pro bono opportunities, see A Survey of Pro Bono Practices and Opportunities in Selected Jurisdictions CD-ROM, available on the Pro Bono Institute Publications page, and Pro Bono Institute Law Firm Pro Bono Project Member Firms may obtain additional publications regarding international pro bono through the Member’s Clearinghouse.  In-house counsel should contact Corporate Pro Bono at cpbo@probonoinst.org.

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