THE WILLIAMS COMPANIES BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Craig Rainey Program Background In fall 2006, Jim Bender, general counsel of The Williams Companies, Inc. (Williams) joined other legal department members for a visit to the Legal Aid offices in Tulsa. After meeting with the dedicated Legal Aid staff, the Williams […]

PFIZER INC. BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Jessica S. Benson and Larry Miller, Chairs, Pfizer Pro Bono Committee Program Background Pfizer Inc.’s (Pfizer) pro bono program has been in existence for more than 15 years, making it one of the oldest in-house programs in the country. The legal department is […]

MICROSOFT CORPORATION BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Robert Kayihura, Transactional Attorney Program Background Innovation is the norm at Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft), the world’s top software company whose success has been based on seeing a need and creating a product to meet that need. So when the leaders of Microsoft’s Legal […]

MCDONALD’S CORPORATION BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Sarah DiLorenzo, Senior Counsel Program Background The McDonald’s Corporation’s (McDonald’s) legal department first implemented a formal pro bono program in 2000. The legal department is comprised of 210 employees, 96 of which are attorneys. In November of 2010, McDonald’s became a Signatory to […]

HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Bruce Ives, Vice-President and Deputy General Counsel Program Background Before 2007, few Hewlett Packard Company (HP) lawyers participated in pro bono work. Those who did had to go outside the company, usually through the pro bono efforts of the local chapter of the […]

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Steve Cernak, Chair, General Motors Pro Bono Committee Program Background The General Motors Company (GM) legal department, which is comprised of 180 lawyers located in Detroit and several offices abroad, first implemented a pro bono program in the late 1990s. Prior to […]

THE CLOROX COMPANY BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Adam Brink, Trademark Counsel Program Background It was with the 2005 arrival of Laura Stein as senior vice president, general counsel & corporate secretary of The Clorox Company (Clorox) that the idea for an official department pro bono program began. As an […]

BEST BUY CO., INC. BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contact: Jill Barnett, Corporate Counsel Program Background When the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) spearheaded a “Call to Honor” in October 2003, asking the legal community to increase its pro bono involvement, Joseph M. Joyce, senior vice president, general counsel and assistant […]

AT&T INC. BEST PRACTICES IN PRO BONO December 2011 Pro Bono Contacts: Pamela St. John and Susan McGahan, General Attorneys and Co-Chairs of Pro Bono Executive Committee Program Background and Infrastructure In 2009, AT&T Inc. (AT&T) revamped its pro bono program, affording regional offices more autonomy in selecting pro bono matters and in managing those matters. […]