Best Practices in Pro Bono: Beyond Trump, What Now?
The past four years saw a sharp increase in pro bono energy. Volunteers responded passionately to Trump Administration policies that were seen as negatively impacting marginalized communities. As we approach the first days of the Biden Administration, pro bono coordinators are asking, what now?
How will pro bono programs rebound from this ongoing period of issue whiplash and volunteer exhaustion? How can pro bono counsel redirect attention to the many local legal dilemmas affecting our neighbors? How will the legal community step up to meet the local legal needs that have been exacerbated during the pandemic? Will pro bono attorneys still feel motivated to rise to the occasion during this new, seemingly friendlier administration?
Panelists:
- Daniel Cantor, Arnold & Porter, Partner & Pro Bono Committee Chair
- Laurie Ball Cooper, Ayuda, Legal Director
- Rebecca Troth, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, Executive Director
- Nancy Drane, D.C. Access to Justice Commission, Executive Director
Moderator: Paul Lee, Pro Bono Counsel, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Panelists will weigh in on what pro bono will look like in 2021 – a year of great uncertainty for low-income residents of DC. Dan Cantor will present on Arnold & Porter’s impressive pandemic unemployment assistance project, launched in partnership with The Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia. Laurie Ball Cooper of Ayuda will give insight into immigration concerns that will continue under the new administration. Becky Troth will discuss how local civil legal needs will skyrocket, while pro bono recruitment lags behind. And Nancy Drane will unveil the new DC Represents campaign, a citywide effort to recruit pro bono attorneys for pandemic-related relief projects.
Best Practices in Pro Bono brings together pro bono directors at law firms, legal services organizations, corporations, and government agencies to share tips for improving their pro bono programs. There is no cost to attend.
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