OPIA Blog » Pro Bono

The state of pro bono work at law firms

opia — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:51:35 +0000

At Stanford Law School on April 4th, students, legal practitioners and academics participated on a panel to address the decline in law firm pro bono work. It’s been well documented that law firms are feeling the impact of the economic recession, particularly those recent law school graduates who have been deferred from their firm. What is not as well documented is the impact on pro bono activity.
The panel, “Pro Bono and the Economic Crisis: The Impact on Education and Practice,” featured prominent public interest attorneys, private practitioners and academics from around the country to discuss the decline (and fear of an even greater decline) in pro bono activity, which has taken a serious hit during the economic downturn. Said one panelist, “…we need to develop a very serious plan of action for dealing with market fluctuations. We know from the research that, when firms are doing well, we see more pro bono, and when they aren’t, we see less pro bono.”
The panelists had varied backgrounds but they were fairly uniform in their sense of urgency. Many believed a new system of pro bono work at law firms should be presented to ensure those without the means to obtain legal services can secure representation.

To read the full panel transcript, click here.

Immigrants have an uphill climb in New York’s legal system

opia — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is being done to address the issue of immigration (both legal and illegal) in New York City? This New York Times article highlights some of the problems occurring in the immigration law community in New York. Robert A. Katzmann, a federal judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, lead a “working colloquium” on the subject of immigration law and how to better connect the immigrant community and the legal community. Lawyers from all arenas of law (judges, big firm attorneys, legal service lawyers) showed up to this colloquium to discuss these issues. Many were on the same level and agreed that immigration law needs some fixing.

A big problem is the workload required of the immigration attorneys and judges–making it hard to
devote a great deal of time to any one immigrant’s case. Take the Varick detention center mentioned in the Times article. The center, operated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of Homeland Security, has had a spotty past and precarious future. The article mentions that “leaders of the fledgling legal triage program said it has only enough volunteers to talk privately with a dozen of the 250 men held there, a few subway stops from federal and state courthouses and the skyscraping headquarters of international legal firms. Hundreds more immigrant New Yorkers are detained in New Jersey jails where few or no free lawyers visit regularly.”

On top of that, judges and attorneys are dealing with massive case loads of which many should not be on their docket.

The legal imbalance is clear. The writer points out that “studies show immigrants with legal representation are three to four times more likely to win their case, yet nationwide, only about 35 percent have any kind of lawyer.”

HLS alumnus to lead firms public interest center

opia — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:36:01 +0000

Kenneth Zimmerman ‘88, former Chief Counsel to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and a current partner with the firm Lowenstein Sandler PC which has offices in Boston, New York, Palo Alto, and Roseland NJ, has been chosen to lead the firm’s new public interest center which it opened at the end of October.

The center will oversee the entire firm’s pro bono efforts and hopes to expand upon its commitment to “addressing significant social issues and provide community assistance.” The firm stated in a press release.

As part of the program, five associates working at Lowenstein Sandler will dedicate 25 percent of their time to the Center’s projects and help spearhead the firm’s overall pro bono efforts, which in 2007 involved some 230 lawyers and totaled nearly 19,000 hours of attorney and paralegal participation.

To read the press release, follow this link.

Click on this link to visit the firm’s website.

for more information about Ken Zimmerman, click here.

Article from The Nation featuring an Alumni’s Fight to Save a Home

opia — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:21:38 +0000

An article from The Nation written this past summer discusses the subprime mortgage crisis and its legal consequences in Atlanta, one of the cities hardest hit by the housing and loan crisis.

The article highlights how the subprime mortgage crisis played out both on the macro and micro level. Focusing on few families in Atlanta, Georgia, the article tries to focus on what the families went through in their efforts to keep their home.

Sarah Bolling an ‘07 alumni, is featured in the article. Bolling, who is currently working for the Legal Aid Society in Atlanta, is defending the Mitchell family and other families hit hard by the mortgage crisis.

To read the article, clink on this link

Making a Difference Through Microfinance

opia — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:00:54 +0000

Last year, over 100 attorneys from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe contributed 3,617 pro bono hours to building a microfinance network in Latin America. The result was an $8.5 million dollar microcredit investment fund that would open entrepreneurial doors for millions of low-income people through tiny loans.

Private law firms are increasing their pro bono commitments to the microfinance industry, the banking sector for the world’s poor. In response to the recent jump in food prices and contracting credit, firms are stepping up and offering their finance expertise for the social good. Mary Rose Brusewitz, a global finance partner at Orrick, explains the motivation for such public interest work in this way: “Young lawyers are simply not planning on just working and earning money. They want to be inspired.”

To read the full article in New York Lawyer, click here.

Firm Honored for Pro Bono Work

opia — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:08:52 +0000

Sidley Austin LLP was announced as the ABA’s recipient of the 2007 ABA Pro Bono Publico Award. The firm was honored in recognition of its Capital Litigation Project, an on-going effort in which Sidley attorneys have been representing death row inmates on a pro bono basis since 2005. Working alongside organizations such as the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, the firm has contributed more than 75,000 hours to such matters in 2006 alone. Read more about the firm and its recognition here.