APBCo

Timeline of Accomplishments

2006-2011

2006

  • March - Created organization framework, mission statement membership criteria
  • March - Created initial committee structure:
  • Membership - will manage the process for recruiting and confirming new members
  • Professional Development - will address the development of the profession of law firm pro bono management
  • Information Exchange - will examine and share best practices within the pro bono manager community and with other groups within the equal justice community
  • Communications - will address issues affecting the larger legal community and the institutional status of APBCO
  • Administration - will address logistical and technical aspects of the organization
  • April - Created website shell
  • August 15 – press release and members solicitation
  • September 28 –First Members Meeting (by telephone)
  • November 8 –open membership meeting with Aric Press @ Morgan Lewis (DC)

2007

  • March 1 –Member Meeting re: Mission Matter Means (in-person @ Howrey DC)
  • March 8 – MMM working group convened(led by Schulman)
  • March 21 – EJC in Denver w/ APBCo programming
  • March 23– distributed to A. Press and E. Lardent“Association of Pro Bono Counsel Statement on the Eligibility of Non-Profit Entities for Pro Bono Legal Services” (White Paper on nonprofit eligibility)
  • June 13 – responded to A. Press email explaining firms’ position on why fee bearing cases should count under pro bono definition
  • August 1 – sent letter to A. Press re: July Amlaw issue and need for clarification
  • August –t/c with Aric; later sent message to membership re: same
  • October 4 –Member Meeting (by telephone)
  • October 18 – sent announcement re: first election (Spirer filled Vigil LC seat; Nominating Committee: Lash, Schulman, Cohen)
  • November 30 –1st Academy @ Ropes & Gray (NYC)
  • December –sent members staffing survey and gathered results re: same

2008

  • January 29 – press release announcing org
  • February 28 – Member Meeting (in-person @ DLA in DC)
  • April –agreed to combine/reorg committees and working groups as follows:

1) Member Communication Committee (to replace former Admin Committee)

2) Professional Development Committee/Activities (no chair for committee, instead, chairs for the various individual working groups below; former "info exchange" committee to be blended ins)

Working Groups:
-Academy

-Equal Justice

-Social Justice -Surveys -Communication with Providers

-Professional Evaluation 3) Communications Committee

*Membership Committee goes away
*Info Exchange gets folded into Professional Development
*Admin committee becomes "Member Communications"

  • May – EJC inMinneapolis w/ APBCo programming
  • May – Strategic Planning Meeting in Minneapolis
  • August 13 – strategic Planning Retreat
  • August – creation of Bridging the Gap working group
  • October 6 –Member Meeting (by telephone)
  • October 16 – 2nd Academy (Chicago)
  • November 18 – Elections announced (Colyer filled Cohen LC seat; Nominating Committee: Cohen, Lash, and Wallis) Nov/Dec–Provided input on Rhode/Cummings survey(distributed to members March 2009)

2009

  • January – Annual Board Meeting: elected “Class I”to Board:Cohen, Colyer, King, Spirer, Vigil[A1]
  • February – letter response to NYSBA re: funding for legal services
  • March 5, 2009 –Member Meeting(in-person @ O’Melveny DC)
  • March –convened Deferred Associate Working group
  • March 26 – distributed White Paper on “Considerations for the Placement of Law Firm Attorneys

into Public Interest Organizations”

  • March – sent to Cal Bar letter in support of Proposed California Rule
  • May –EJC in Orlando w/APBCo programming
  • July 19 – Communication Committee sunsetted
  • July 23, 2009 – 1stformal Board Meeting[A2]
  • August –met with A. Press to discuss whether AmLaw should launch a study of deferred associate placements
  • September 1 – Strategic Planning Meeting (by telephone)
  • September – organized national webcast training for deferred associates
  • October 5 – created “public interest definition” working group (Genova, Turner, Kathawala, Brannan, McConnell)
  • October 15 –3rdAcademy @ Reed Smith (Philadelphia)
  • November 12, 2009 – Member Meeting (by telephone)
  • Date –Established as NY nonprofit corporation Date?
  • Date –Hired accountant
  • Date –Migrated site to probono.net
  • December 7 – Elections (Alger/McConnell seats: Lash and Wallis elected; nominating committee: Alger, Hoffman, Schulman, Slater)

2010

  • January 8 – first of four “Responding to the Crisis” call-in presentations organized by the Narrowing the Justice Gap working group
  • January 10 – dues raised from 60 to 100
  • January - Board Meeting, elected: Alger, Lash, McConnell, Smith, Wallis
  • March 18 – Member Meeting (in person @ DLAin DC) re: Public Rights
  • March11 – Sent letter to PBI re: public rights definition
  • May – EJCin Phoenix w/APBCo programming
  • May – tax exempt status conferred by IRS
  • October – 4th Academy @ Manatt (Los Angeles)
  • November 11 – Elections (Smith and Spirer seats; Keith & Schulman elected nominating committee: Alger, Slater,Sullivan)
  • December 9 – Strategic Planning Meeting(by telephone)

2011

  • January 13 – Annual Board Meeting (elected Haney, Schulman)
  • January 13– Colyer joins planning committee for ABA National Summit on Pro Bono
  • March 3 – Member Meeting (in person @ Crowell & Moring DC)
  • April 17 – received OVP initiative re: Access to Justice
  • May – EJCin Las Vegas w/ APBCo programming
  • August –internal nomination of Susie Hoffman for White House Champion of Change Award (award did not come to fruition)
  • October –LC members participate in ABA National Summit on Pro Bono
  • October – 5thAcademy @ Wilmer Hale (Boston)
  • October – Strategic Planning Meeting @ Brown Rudnick

EJC Panels

2007 Denver

1.Death by 1,000 Cuts: How to Manage Large Time Demands Made on Limited Resources
As large firm pro bono programs grow and law firms expand into new markets, pro bono managers face even greater demands on their times. This panel will discuss ways to understand and address the many challenges of these increasingly eponymous jobs. Specific discussion points include:
* Staffing strategies and arrangements - How to get management on board to increase staff? Effective divisions of labor? Geographic issues
* Pro bono managers as practicing pro bono lawyers - How much practice is too much?
* Does an open door work? Responding to cold calls, emails, letters from firm employees or outsiders, etc.
* Is it a help or a hindrance to participate as a board member of a provider agency?
* How to balance tangential firm demands like recruiting, hiring, diversity ...

2. Developing Projects with Corporate Clients
Increasingly firms are partnering with their corporate clients on pro bono projects. This panel will discuss the circumstances that lead to productive relationships and explore the potential hurdles that could develop. The panel will also consider whether this is an effective service model for meeting the demands of our client communities.

3. Dual Roles: How a Law Firm's Role as a Legal Services Funder Impacts the Availability of Referrals
Law firms play vital roles in the delivery and the funding of legal services. The connection between the two roles has become more pronounced as both the firms and the providers become more sophisticated about how they commit limited time and financial resources. This panel will address effective decision-making considerations and strategies.

2008 Minneapolis

Session IBridging the Gap: Analyzing how law firms can address the consistently low percentage of legal needs being metacrossthe thecountry.[Presenters: Angela Vigil and Joe Sullivan]

Session II Examining Meaningful Performance Goals and Evaluation Systems for Pro Bono Counsel [Presenters: Steve Schulman (Akin Gump), Diane Heins (Faegre & Benson), Tripp Gleason (Womble Carlyle)]

Session III Open Forum: Comparing and Sharing

[This will be a fast-paced, audience-centered session will focus on what efforts and techniques by law firms, pro bono counsel, volunteers, referral organizations and others have failed or succeeded in bringing about more and better efforts by law firms and their attorneys. Be ready to jump in…][Presenters: Debbie Segal (Kilpatrick Stockton) and Suzy Turner (Dechert)]

Reception : Faegre & Benson

2009 Orlando

Session I: Effectively Managing Your Pro Bono Program in this Economic Climate: This session will address practical methods and strategies for effectively running a pro bono program in this economic crisis.

[Discussion Leaders: Kevin Curnin (Strook) and Latonia Haney Keith (McDermott)]

Session II: Managing Public Interest Placements: This session will address the implementation and management of public interest placements. [Discussion Leaders: Amanda Smith (Morgan) and Cristin Zeisler (Manatt)]

Session III: Bridging the Social Justice Gap II: At last year’s Equal Justice Conference we began a discussion about how we can and should work to address the issues that most deeply affect those most in need in our communities. This year, we will take the conversation a step further by brainstorming as a group to work towards a solution for providing pro bono services to address a particular area of need. Tiela Chalmers, Executive Direction of the Bar Association of San Francisco Volunteer Legal Services Program, will join us for this hands-on workshop. [Discussion Leaders: Angela Vigil (Baker), Joe Sullivan (Pepper), and Al Wallis (Brown Rudnick)]

2010 Phoenix

Session I: Best & Worst Experiences: This session will explore ABPCo members’ best and worst experiences with topics ranging from handling recognition efforts to managing unpopular projects. This open discussion will provide helpful thoughts on many issues we address in managing our pro bono programs.Discussion Leaders: Roz Garbose Nasdor (Ropes), Pam Wandzel (Fred), and Cristin Zeisler (Manatt)

Session II: Arizona Immigration Law - SB 1070: Betsy Cavendish, Executive Director of Appleseed, will join us to discuss SB1070, the potential for similar laws in other states, and how immigration and non-immigration practitioners at our firms can help immigrants and their families.Discussion Leaders: Betsy Cavendish (Appleseed) and Karen Grisez (Fried Frank)

Session III: Pro Bono & Professional Development: The correlation between professional development and pro bono work is becoming more formalized at our firms. This session will address the trend toward achieving ‘core competencies’ through pro bono work and discuss the impact of this connection on pro bono programs. Discussion Leaders: Rich Gruenberger (DLA) and Nicole Friant (Duane)

[A1]Is this right? Above we say Spirer too Vigil place. But maybe that was just LC & this is boad?

[A2]Is this right? Then how did we elect Class 1 in Jan? is this supposed to be 2009?