Best Practices - Compiled

 Lead by example. Don’t stop doing cases yourself, even if it’s just one a year. It keeps you passionate.  Use a System of Partner/Associate “champions” in each Group or Office.  Try to eliminate all of the start-up hurdles people face in doing pro bono–opening new matters/running conflicts, setting up training materials/live training, staffing whoever is missing in terms of level/practice area needed–anything that may keep lawyers from just saying “yes.”  Personal success stories are what “sell” a pro bono program more than anything else–they are the key to increasing pro bono participation.  TIP: Engage Office Leader in strategizing how to reach out to practice groups and with whom to consult as sounding boards regarding that strategy.  TIP: Find out who is funding your partner charities/NGOs and build relations with them. It will help bring funding to your projects and sustain them.  For associates who are concerned a pro bono project may take too many hours–a team approach (several associates) often works well.  Tailor your message internally: talking about business benefits wins you new friends (usually partners) but alienates your old friends. –Paul Yates, Freshfields  Broaden your e-mail distribution lists sometimes. Even though I fear bombarding people with e-mail, I sometimes find pro bono allies in places I would not expect (e.g., tax partner interested in a KIND case).  Twitter Fall at Partners’ Meeting salted by commentary of pro bono believers.  Providing department leads with stories about their attorneys’ pro bono projects that they can discuss at department meetings highlighting - Skills - Impact  Developing a pro bono committee to broaden partner involvement with the pro bono infrastructure.  Get to know the lawyers you work with - What they are passionate about, the types of cases that intrigue and scare them, and try to engage them by matching cases that will appeal to their interests.  One tip: Keep a database/record of all interactions with e ach attorney to help identify pro bono matters that will be of interest both in terms of subject matter and timing.  Have my secretary print everything I need to review as it comes in via e-mail and review in hard copy first thing in a.m. in office.  I learned this in a previous session today: the only way to truly be in more than one place at a time is to be cloned.  Corporate legal departments need/like pro bono projects that involve all staff, not just lawyers.  As firms get larger, personal contact becomes more important, but more difficult.  Choose 3 “zesty” activities each week and commit to doing them even if it means ignoring something else you’re supposed to do. From the “Connecting to the Core/Battling Burnout” panel. Zesty = for ex.– meeting with a new lawyer if you like that, doing some case work, etc.  Be the “friendly face” at the firm - answer any and all questions, pro bono or not - to engender loyalty.  Gain firm-wide respect through your work and then demand management to be accountable for the success of the pro bono program.  Task a partner with engaging a specific other partner in a pro bono project.  Have the partners that the associates answer to circulate the “pro bono opportunity” e-mails to them.  To encourage partner participation in pro bono: Find out the partner’s passion and match it to a project. This is the best way to involve a partner who has not participated before.  Large law firm lawyers need informational sessions shedding light on poverty issues and the dire state of legal services funding.  Trying to get on the board of a bar foundation or similar organization in a city where you are not located, but are responsible for the office – (as a way to get integrated into the legal service community there).  Client partnerships and using pro bono to develop projects with fee generating clients is one of the most useful ways to increase partner participation.  Use internal librarians for all types of research. They are often fans of pro bono – this is a way for them to be involved. They are also great at all types of research – not just legal. I use them for pro bono business development research – e.g., learn about non-profits, etc.  Making friends with people in your accounting department can be helpful – asking for information and making the assumption that you should have access to that information often leads you to useful knowledge. Not always wise to make it known that you have access to the info you have.  Instituting 6 month status check-in for all new pro bono matters has enabled us to monitor matters, and keep the docket under control. We do outreach via e-mail or call (or in person if possible).