In a recent edition of Inside Counsel, Michael Holston, Hewlett-Packard Company executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary, recognized his legal department’s dedication to pro bono.  In 2007, Holston committed his department to providing pro bono legal services by signing the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠, a voluntary statement that encourages in-house counsel to provide pro bono assistance to individuals and communities in need.

Currently, Holston and the Hewlett-Packard legal department are working with U.S. veterans, helping soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq to secure medical benefits.  Holston envisions Hewlett-Packard engaging more companies in this effort, stating that pro bono is “the right thing to do…it brings the team together [and] energizes people.”

Holston, a member of the Advisory Board of Corporate Pro Bono, a joint partnership between the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), also identified a career in pro bono as his “dream job.”