Michigan Law Firm Pledges $1M in Free Legal Work for Start-Ups

Michigan-based Varnum is donating up to $1 million in pro bono legal services over the next five years to help start-up and fledgling businesses in the state. Gov. Rick Snyder announced the pledge Wednesday. The contribution is part of a plan Snyder is backing, MiSpringboard, to boost economic activity in…

Jun 10, 2011 1:45 PM CDT

ABA Military Pro Bono Project Offers Civil Legal Assistance to US Service Members

Jun 1, 2011 8:20 AM CDT

Lawyers Giving Back

Jun 1, 2011 5:30 AM CDT

City of Chicago’s New Top Lawyer Says He Plans to Bring More Work In-House

Chicago’s new mayor Rahm Emanuel has been talking about significant budget cuts, but his assistant corporation counsels’ jobs may be safe—the administration’s top lawyer, Stephen Patton, told the Chicago Tribune yesterday that he intends to bring more legal work in-house. The law department, which includes about 230 attorneys, has an…

May 17, 2011 4:20 PM CDT

Battle of Atlanta: Fight over a Downtown Homeless Shelter Strains Some Down-Home Ties

May 1, 2011 9:50 AM CDT

Associate Survey Gives Low Marks to Law School Pro Bono, Props to Legal Clinics

Law school pro bono work didn’t fare well in a new survey designed to assess hands-on learning opportunities in law school. Law firm associates surveyed said legal clinics and externships provide better hands-on training, according to the 2010 Survey of Law School Experiential Learning (PDF) by NALP, the association for…

Apr 19, 2011 12:27 PM CDT

Lawyers May Need to Increase Pro Bono Work to Make Up for Legal Aid Cuts, Congressman Says

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf has a suggestion to make up for proposed Republican budget cuts of $70 million for the Legal Services Corp. Private lawyers could do additional pro bono work, the Republican congressman said at a budget hearing on Tuesday. Wolf, the chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee, is…

Apr 6, 2011 12:13 PM CDT

DC Lawyers Provide Boost for Legal Services, Earn Recognition in Turn

Apr 1, 2011 8:10 AM CDT

Late Save: Restoring FDIC Backing for IOLTAs Averts an Ethics Dilemma

Apr 1, 2011 7:10 AM CDT

Pro Bono Lawyer Criminally Charged re Alleged Cellphone Loan to Client in Custody

An Illinois lawyer has been criminally charged for allegedly allowing a client being questioned at a Chicago police station in a high-profile murder case to use her personal cellphone to make several calls. Charged with a Class 1 felony count of bringing contraband into a penal institution, Sladjana Vuckovic, 43,…

Mar 24, 2011 11:26 PM CDT

4th Lawyer in a Week for Alabama Fan Charged in Auburn Tree Poisoning Apparently Will Stay On Case

Criminally charged last week in the alleged poisoning of live oak trees near Auburn University that play an iconic role in the school’s football rivalry with the University of Alabama, a Crimson Tide fan has already hit the trifecta, reports the College Football Talk page of NBC sports. Three court-appointed…

Feb 23, 2011 5:39 PM CST

As Pro Bono Week Kicks Off, NY Chief Judge Expands ‘Emeritus’ Legal Help Program

New York’s chief judge is expanding an “emeritus” program that pairs retired lawyers with low and moderate-income people needing free legal help. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced Monday that the program will be expanded to include lawyers who are still practicing law but nearing retirement, the New York Law Journal…

Oct 26, 2010 4:34 PM CDT

Humble Maine Home, Ex-Lender Lawyer at Epicenter of Storm Over Defective Docs in Foreclosure Cases

An unprecedented national furor over a deluge of defective filings in mortgage foreclosure cases largely centers on a single unlikely case. Nicolle Bradbury admittedly can’t afford to pay the $474 monthly mortgage on her humble Maine home after losing her job. But she won the mortgage foreclosure lottery when a…

Oct 15, 2010 3:45 PM CDT

ABA: New Law Would Help Soldiers Focus on Missions Abroad Instead of Legal Problems at Home

For years, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act has helped protect those on active duty, allowing them to, among other things, terminate leases and capping the interest rate creditors can charge at 6 percent. But to invoke these protections military personnel may need a lawyer. Yet even with representation, some creditors…

Oct 8, 2010 5:35 PM CDT

Ex-Weil Gotshal Lawyer Decided There Was More to Life After ‘Messy’ Case

A former partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges began to explore volunteer opportunities after working on a complicated case, eventually landing him a new role as general counsel for a music school in Washington, D.C. Stanley Spracker told the Washington Post about his career switch from partner to volunteer to…

Oct 5, 2010 11:00 AM CDT