As part of its growing commitment to pro bono service, the legal department at The Gap, Inc., in partnership with The Gap Foundation, Corporate Pro Bono, and Morrison & Foerster LLP (a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^®), hosted a CPBO Clinic in a Box℠ program on February 1, 2010.  Thirty-six members of the Gap legal department, both lawyers and support staff, provided assistance to a number of California-based nonprofit organizations supported by The Gap Foundation.

The Gap, Inc. hosted the program at its offices in San Francisco.  Michelle Banks, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for The Gap, Inc., welcomed the clinic volunteers and nonprofit representatives, thanking her legal team for its continued dedication to pro bono legal service and commending the nonprofit organizations for the great work they do within the San Francisco community.  Lucien Chan, Senior Manager for Global Community Partnerships and Strategy for The Gap Foundation, also expressed his gratitude to The Gap legal department for helping the Foundation enlarge the assistance it provides its grantees and for expanding the capacity of the nonprofit organizations supported by the Foundation.

Split into two sessions, the clinic lasted four hours. Lawyers from Morrison & Foerster – Derek Boswell, Aaron Rubin, James Boddy, Karen Guo, Joseph Fletcher, and Peter Romo – led the first session by conducting a training program for which The Gap volunteers received CLE credit.

Counsel at Morrison & Foerster also developed comprehensive training materials for the volunteers and nonprofit clients.  These materials will prove invaluable for those volunteers who wish to continue working with the nonprofit they assisted during the clinic and for those nonprofits interested in learning more about the applicable law.

During the second session of the clinic, Gap volunteers met with representatives from the nonprofits to provide pro bono legal advice.  The volunteers went through a checklist of legal issues, developed by CPBO and tailored to California law by Morrison & Foerster, designed to assess the legal health of the organizations. Volunteers were able to spot issues of concern and provide guidance to the nonprofits when needed.  Many of the nonprofits learned of key legal matters that require attention, and a number of the volunteers will continue to provide ongoing pro bono services to the clients they served at the clinic.

The Gap Foundation’s mission is to fund and manage projects that improve the lives of children living in need and distress. The nonprofit organizations that participated in the clinic are focused on organizing youth sports and healthy activities, helping students finish high school and becoming the first in their families to graduate from college, and providing affordable, high-quality, early-childhood education.

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