PRO BONO MATERIAL

Click here for Information about opportunities for in-house counsel with the below pro bono providers.

Click here for CLE Program Material from the below program.

On December 1, 2009
Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Coordinators, Association of Corporate Counsel Greater N. Y. Chapter, City Bar Justice Center, New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association,& Pro Bono Net in conjunction with Greenberg Traurig, LLP presented

PICTURE PERFECT MODELS FOR
CORPORATE PRO BONO PRACTICE

A CLE panel discussion with leaders of pro bono programs discussing best practices for effective engagement with corporate counsel, with specific opportunities for corporate counsel to do pro bono work.

Moderator: John Ogden, Executive Director, ACC Greater NY Chapter

Panelists:
Carol Bockner, Director of Pro Bono Initiatives, City Bar Justice Center;
Hon. Fern Fisher, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts, Civil Court Volunteer Lawyers Project;
Marlene Halpern, Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid Society;
Curt Iiams, Director, Legal Disclosures, General Counsel’s Office, American Express;
Maurice Segall, Program Director, Pro Bono Partnership;
William Silverman, Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP;
Elizabeth Guggenheimer, Deputy Executive Director, Lawyers Alliance for New York.

 December 23, 2009 Pro Bono Award

The chapter has received the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program 2009 Pro Bono Service Award. It was based on our work with the NY City Civil Court on the Consumer Debt program.

NY Civil Court/ACC-GNY Consumer Credit
Pro Bono Program

The benefits, to the client, the attorney and the company, of pro bono practice are well known.  (See, for example, the link below to "The Business Case for In-House Pro Bono")

Unfortunately, the myriad, and increasing, demands on in-house counsel's time, frequently make these benefits seem beyond the reach of even the best-intentioned legal departments. The chapter has worked with the Civil Court of the City of New York to develop a pro bono program which addresses a pressing need in the community as well as ensuring the time commitment by in-house counsel is reasonable and provides value to all stakeholders.

An Ideal Pro Bono Program for Corporate Counsel
An Important Service to the Community

Just as the subprime crisis has drastically affected homeowners’ ability to pay mortgages, so too have many people had extreme difficulty with the increasing cost of paying credit card bills. When sued for nonpayment the vast majority of people cannot afford counsel. The long term impact on their credit and thus quality of life can be devastating.

To meet this need the Civil Court, City of New York and The Greater New York Chapter, Association of Corporate Counsel have developed a program with the following elements to address concerns corporate counsel may have with undertaking pro bono:

• Volunteers will receive appropriate training.
• CLE will be awarded upon completion of training and fulfillment of minimum commitment to counsel pro se clients.
• Court attorneys will be present for backup support while volunteers are counseling clients.
• Indemnification against malpractice claims will be provided.
• Court will handle all administration such as scheduling, notices etc.

For questions or comments on Pro Bono please contact ACCGNY's Executive Director John Ogden at 201.264.3048 or john@innovativeresultsllc.com.

Other links to Pro Bono articles and information:

A letter to the legal community from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Free 2-hour CLE accredited program focusing on best practices for managing pro bono work in challenging economic times.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates

Visit the EVENTS page for complete details and registration information.

 ACC’s Greater New York Chapter has worked with the Civil Court of the City of New York to develop a CLE Credit-granting pro bono program which meets the needs of the public and has been successfully planned to fit the aspects of in-house practice which differ from law firm attorneys.

During the past few years, the number of formal, organized pro bono efforts at in-house corporate legal departments, and the participation of in-house lawyers and legal staff in pro bono matters, have increased dramatically.

Corporate Pro Bono was Created as a national partnership between the ACC and the Pro Bono Institute to assist in-house Counsel who wants to establish or improve their legal departments' pro bono efforts.