Pro Bono

Ashurst loses global pro bono head to Gilbert + Tobin

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | August 1, 2014

Ashurst has begun the hunt for a new global pro bono head following the departure of Anne Cregan for Gilbert + Tobin. Cregan, considered a pro bono heavyweight, has joined the Australian firm as a special counsel. She took on the global role at Ashurst last year following the merger of the UK-headquartered firm and Blake Dawson.

1 minute read

A call to alms: international firms are uniquely placed to lead major pro bono projects

By Legal Week | July 22, 2014

Earlier this month I returned from Bangladesh, where I visited the UNICEF-funded child justice projects DLA Piper is supporting to help protect some of the country's most vulnerable children.

1 minute read

Arnold & Porter, Dechert and Debevoise come out on top in pro bono survey

By Anna Reynolds | May 28, 2014

Arnold & Porter, Dechert and Debevoise & Plimpton have topped a survey of law firms that have recorded the highest number of hours spent on pro bono work.

1 minute read

Managing type 1 diabetes and life as a magic circle partner

By Legal Week | March 11, 2014

Slaughter and May partner James Cripps recently retired after over 35 years at the firm. Together with his former boss, Jonathan Haw, and their wives, Margaret and Hélène, they helped to establish the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF in the UK. In this article, Cripps recounts how he learned to balance the demands of his condition with the demands of his legal career

1 minute read

CC's pro bono hours up 10% as firm looks to increase lawyer involvement

By Pui-Guan Man | October 10, 2013

Clifford Chance (CC) has increased the number of hours its lawyers spend on pro bono work by 10% in 2012-13. The magic circle firm's annual corporate responsibility report values the time invested in pro bono work at £19.2m. Lawyers at the firm spent a total of 55,348 hours on pro bono matters during 2012-13, up from 50,324 hours in the previous year.

1 minute read

CC adds seven more charities to client-level pro bono scheme

By Pui-Guan Man | September 5, 2013

Clifford Chance (CC) has selected seven more charities to provide client-level pro bono support to, three of which will receive a total of £255,000 from the firm over the next three years. The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) joining the initiative are international development charity A4ID, affordable housing NGO Habitat for Humanity, non-profit writers' association PEN International, African Prisons Project, Anti-Slavery International, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IRHB), and Save the Children.

1 minute read

Freshfields adds to pro bono efforts with London Gay Games advice

By Gerard Starkey | August 1, 2013

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has become an official supporter of London's bid to host the 2018 Gay Games. The city has been shortlisted to host the event alongside Paris and Limerick, with a final decision expected to be announced by governing body, Federation of Gay Games, in October. As well as sponsoring the bid, the firm is providing London's bidding team with pro-bono legal advice and non-legal advice, drawing upon the experience gained through its role as sole legal services provider to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

1 minute read

Charity forged by College of Law sale hands out first law grants

By Alex Newman | July 10, 2013

The Legal Education Foundation (LEF) - the charitable arm spun out of last year's sale of the College of Law - has formally launched with a series of six grants to initiatives supporting pro bono, social mobility and access to justice. LEF - which has funds of approximately £200m generated by last April's sale of the College of Law's education and training business to Montagu Private Equity - was set up to continue the College's charitable activities in the wake of the takeover.

1 minute read

Time to show communities we really care by mucking in with charities on all fronts

By Legal Week | June 27, 2013

When firms look at how they can support communities through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, many opt for schemes that try to improve the job chances and skills of the people they're supporting. They hope that in turn this will help the personal development of their own staff. There are, however, other types of programme addressing a range of issues that are less typical but equally worthwhile. For example, the less-travelled road of volunteering can still improve the lives of those supported. But it has the added benefit of developing communication, leadership and teaching skills for employees – skills which companies often have to address anyway through in-house training. Reed Smith is an international law firm based near Liverpool Street, right in the heart of the City of London. It is impossible for anyone working in the City not to see the sharp contrast between the area's wealth and that of its less privileged neighbours. This juxtaposition is emphasised further by a palpable lack of interaction between the two.

1 minute read

CSR Award: Clifford Chance

By Legal Week | June 13, 2013

Clifford Chance (CC) is running an initiative to help 100,000 people across the world through community and pro bono work. One example of the work undertaken by Middle East-based staff was a drive to raise AED100,000 (£18,000) to pay for a school bus for the Special Needs Family Centre in Dubai. The cheque was delivered to the centre in December. The bus will allow more children to attend the school and facilitate larger field trips. Staff at CC's Middle East offices formed a fundraising committee and arranged a series of events to raise the cash. The fundraising drive was just one of several initiatives undertaken by the firm's regional branches as part of a co-ordinated strategy by the firm to boost access to justice through pro bono work; access to finance through microfinance initiatives; and access to education.

1 minute read

Law.com

Mass. Supreme Judicial Court Issues Pro Bono Awards to Two Attorneys, Two Law Students

By Colleen Murphy | October 10, 2022

Two attorneys and two law students will receive awards from the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services recognizing their exceptional dedication to providing legal services to those who cannot afford representation.

3 minute read

Law.com

Michigan State Bar Releases Annual 'Honor Roll' of Leading Pro Bono Services-Producing Lawyers, Firms, Corporations

By Jason Grant | October 10, 2022

The State Bar of Michigan has announced its annual pro-bono honor roll, recognizing individual lawyers who provided more than 30, 50 and 100 hours of pro-bono services in 2021, as well as law firms and corporations that had a "per-attorney average" of more than 30, 50 and 100 hours pro-bono services last year.

2 minute read

New York Law Journal

Attorney of the Year Finalist: Caroline Heller

By Brian Lee | October 5, 2022

Heller said she has a unique opportunity to use the firm's "incredible resources" to collaborate with nonprofit organizations to effect change through pro bono work.

7 minute read

The American Lawyer

After Trimming Senior Associate Ranks, Reed Smith Wants to Build Juniors' Business Development Skills

By Dan Roe | October 4, 2022

A new Associate Advantage program aims to close training gaps from remote work and instill business and leadership skills early on.

4 minute read

Daily Report Online

Green's Freedom Uncertain after 11th Circuit Affirms Prosecutors Can Withhold Inadmissible, Exculpatory Evidence

By Dan Roe | September 29, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court is the last remedy for the longtime Crowell & Moring pro bono client, who spent 32 years in prison for a murder that legal scholars have called a racial hoax.

4 minute read

Daily Business Review

Crosley Green's Freedom Uncertain after 11th Circuit Affirms Prosecutors Can Withhold Inadmissible, Exculpatory Evidence

By Dan Roe | September 29, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court is the last remedy for the longtime Crowell & Moring pro bono client, who spent 32 years in prison for a murder that legal scholars have called a racial hoax.

4 minute read

The Legal Intelligencer

Public Interest Calendar of Events

By The Legal Intelligencer | September 16, 2022

In this month's calendar, head to Atlantic City for the return of an in-person Bench-Bar Conference. Several trainings and celebrations are also on tap.

3 minute read

The Legal Intelligencer

Housing Serves as a Barrier to Implementing 'Olmstead'

By Robin Resnick and Christina Drzal | September 16, 2022

Many nursing facility residents remain unnecessarily institutionalized. The lack of affordable, accessible housing is consistently identified as the key roadblock to enabling nursing facility residents to move into the community.

8 minute read

Daily Report Online

Page Pate, Nationally Known Trial Lawyer, Dies in Drowning Incident

By Everett Catts | September 13, 2022

"The Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL) was shocked and saddened to hear the news of Page Pate's passing," the organization said in an emailed statement. "The GACDL community sends thoughts of peace and comfort to his family and friends. Page was a larger-than-life person and attorney."

3 minute read

The American Lawyer

Simpson Thacher Team Travels South to Mississippi for Pro Bono Work

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | September 6, 2022

Lawyers at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York have handled a number of high-profile civil rights lawsuits filed in Mississippi, working with civil rights organizations.

5 minute read