In-house legal departments have an important role to play in addressing the access to justice crisis through pro bono. Without a formal support structure and program in place, however, in-house counsel and staff must be more intentional, assertive, careful, and resourceful in developing pro bono opportunities for the department, which can be stressful or discouraging. Fortunately, building a structured pro bono program, no matter the size of the legal department, is doable based on four key areas.

Join three pro bono professionals – two from the law firm side and one from an in-house legal department – to discuss how in-house legal departments can build an impactful pro bono program that aligns with the department’s core priorities, leadership model, capabilities, interest areas, and resources.

This program will cover:

• The access to justice crisis and the in-house pro bono landscape:  What is the access to justice crisis and what role can in-house legal departments play in responding to in an impactful way? How do we define pro bono and what are the typical in-house pro bono program models? (15 minutes)
• Barriers and opportunities related to in-house pro bono:  What are some of the things that may create barriers when building an in-house pro bono program?  What are the benefits to pursuing an in-house pro bono program? (10 minutes)
• The four key areas for building a structured pro bono program, which include: (1) making the business case for pro bono and securing leadership support; (2) structuring a program based on the department’s size, skill sets, interests, and objectives; (3) establishing relationships with legal services organizations, other in-house legal departments, and law firm partners; and (4) creating and leveraging tools and resources to optimize and support volunteer engagement. (35 minutes)

Who Should Attend:  Pro bono attorneys, in-house counsel, public interest advocates, and all others interested in learning how in-house legal departments can build an impactful pro bono program