The personal rewards of doing pro bono work are well documented. So it was no surprise to hear lawyers tell heart-tugging stories about helping childless couples adopt or abused women escape violent relationships at a June 2 panel discussion on pro bono work sponsored by Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services.

Last week the U.S. celebrated Memorial Day to honor all of the brave men and women who have served in its armed forces and made the ultimate sacrifice while doing so. In addition, on Memorial Day many of us recognized and thanked those serving today and the many veterans who have served over the years. Our friends at the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP)** have chosen not to limit their efforts to a holiday weekend. Instead, the legal department has adopted a signature project to assist veterans throughout the year. Below is a description of their good work from Todd R. Tabor, Senior Counsel, HP Legal.

The 2011 Pro Bono Institute Annual Seminar and Forum on In-House Pro Bono once again featured a “Marketplace of Ideas.” This fast-paced session, a Seminar/Forum favorite, was an opportunity for presenters to share cutting-edge pro bono projects and for attendees to learn about new opportunities, offerings, infrastructure, and other pro bono developments. A recurring theme and trend reflected in many of the projects presented was a focus on strategic partnership and collaboration. The four presenters identified real-world legal needs and explained how their projects are successfully addressing them.

Corporate Pro Bono recently published the 2010 In-House Pro Bono Benchmarking Survey, which highlights several key trends that CPBO observed in in-house pro bono in 2010. The report includes responses from 35 legal departments, each of them Signatories to the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠. The benchmarking data enables legal departments to compare their pro bono programs and projects with those of other departments. As in-house pro bono evolves, CPBO will regularly expand and update these materials.

On April 26, DELVACCA joined with Philadelphia VIP and DELVACCA sponsor Duane Morris to host a free small business counseling clinic for clients of the Women’s Business Development Center in Center City.  The Center’s mission is to empower micro-entrepreneurs (primarily but not exclusively women) to start new businesses and grow existing ones.  Volunteer attorneys – who were paired up with the Center’s clients based on self-selected areas of expertise – gave advice to about two dozen people on choice of entity, employment, contracts, real estate, intellectual property, tax and other legal matters.  Duane Morris lawyers were also on hand throughout the event, to offer extra assistance where needed. 

Like the boy Trevor, who launches a good-will movement in the 2000 movie “Pay It Forward”, the Office Depot Legal Department recently launched a new good-will movement of its own, donating a sum total of a full week of work to the local community.

Verizon’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel describes the recent rule change in Virginia that removed restrictions for in-house attorneys seeking to provide pro bono legal services.

On April 14, 2011, Corporate Pro Bono hosted a Clinic in a Box℠ in partnership with the Time Warner Legal Department, the Time Warner Corporate Social Responsibility Department, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP*. Clinic in a Box℠ is an off-the-shelf program developed by Corporate Pro Bono to provide volunteer attorneys transactional pro bono opportunities.