Tom Sabatino, newly appointed executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Walgreen Co.**, is a longtime pro bono supporter and friend of PBI and has signed onto the Challenge as one of his first acts. Sabatino has overseen vibrant pro bono programs in his previous general counsel positions at United-Continental Holdings**, and Schering-Plough, a Challenge Signatory until it merged with Merck & Co., Inc.**.

Back in 2009, Jessica Benson and Larry Miller were given a task that was a bit outside of their traditional, respective roles as senior corporate counsel and assistant general counsel at Pfizer. Although the pharmaceutical giant already had a robust pro bono program within its legal department, its new GC—Amy Schulman—wanted her lawyers to do more volunteer legal work on health care-related issues. And she charged Benson and Miller, who had previous pro bono experience at Pfizer, with making that happen.

In the earliest days of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, we conducted a series of regional meetings – a listening tour of sorts – to learn more about the state of pro bono at major law firms. What we learned at those regional meetings and from ongoing contact with the law firm leaders we met formed the basis for the Pro Bono Institute’s work for years to come and contributed to the profound transformation of law firm pro bono.

Ford Motor Company, Dykema Gossett PLLC, and Community Legal Resources team up to develop the Nonprofit Survival Clinic to aid nonprofits through legal strategies aimed to improve their financial wellbeing. Since their inaugural Nonprofit Survival Clinic in 2009, more than 40 nonprofits have participated in eight clinics.

CPBO recently co-hosted a Clinic in a Box program with the Northeast ACC Chapter, Mintz Levin, and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.

In September, CPBO moderated a webinar covering recent trends in in-house pro bono. Representatives from Accenture LLC and Verizon Communications Inc. shared their respective pro bono projects and developments.

The UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota have formed a legal service partnership to assist children in foster care with a number of legal matters, including adoption, transfer of legal custody to relatives, and obtaining mental health counseling.

In 2008, some General Electric Co. lawyers were discouraged. The legal department at the global technology, services and finance company had a 10-year-old, formal pro bono program in place, but a majority of the projects were geared toward lawyers located near the GE headquarters in Fairfield, Conn.

The Association of General Counsel (AGC), an exclusive invitation-only professional organization made up of the chief legal officers of the largest and most prestigious U.S. corporations, meets twice a year to discuss issues of import to top legal business leaders. Previous speakers have included a former U.S. President, CEOs of Fortune 50 companies, and other notable business figures. At AGC’s Fall Meeting, held on Oct. 6 in Washington, D.C., PBI President and CEO Esther Lardent participated in the opening panel, facilitating a lively and interactive discussion on pro bono at in-house departments. The panel was moderated by Michael Holston, general counsel at the Hewlett-Packard Company**, and included Ron Flagg, partner at Sidley & Austin LLP*, LLP and board chair of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, and Lisa Dewey, pro bono partner at DLA Piper LLP*.