Harvard Law School Celebrates National Pro Bono Week

Harvard Law School is celebrating National Pro Bono Week from October 20th to October 24th. This celebration honors the outstanding work of lawyers who volunteer their time to help people in their communities and increase justice for all. The week will be marked by ceremonies and panel discussions focused on the value of pro bono work.

The Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs invites you to attend the following events:

MON. October 20th
GLOBAL PRO BONO: STORIES FROM THE FIELD
WCC 3007 12 – 1 pm
Non-Pizza Lunch Provided
Co-Sponsored by International Legal Studies and the Graduate Program
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Professor of Law William Alford will moderate and share his insights about his global pro bono work with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability. Speakers from the Graduate Program, Arpeeta Shams Mizan will discuss her street lawyering work in Bangladesh; Leire Larracoechea San Sebastian will be speaking about her pro bono work at her private law firm and her current efforts to launch a clearinghouse for pro bono opportunities in Spain; and Mirembe Susan Nalunkuma will be talking about her work representing (as a law student) LGBT people and sex workers in Uganda.

MON. October 20th
PRO BONO RECRUITMENT FAIR AND OPEN HOUSE
120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
4:30 – 6:00 pm
Sponsored by the Boston Bar Association and Suffolk Law School 

You are cordially invited to attend the sixth annual Pro Bono Fair for local area attorneys and law students. This event provides attorneys and law students with a range of pro bono opportunities. The fair is held as part of the National Pro Bono Celebration. Attendees are encouraged to drop in and meet representatives from local legal services organizations and to learn more about the pro bono opportunities in the community. This event is offered to attorneys of all levels as well as law students.

For more information, please visit the Pro Bono Recruitment Fair and Open House website.
MON. October 20th
LAWYERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING: A WORKSHOP WITH PROFESSOR MARSHALL GANZ
WCC 1010
7 – 9 pm

Join Professor Marshall Ganz from the Harvard Kennedy School and practicing attorneys for dinner and conversation on the role of lawyers in community organizing. Professor Ganz will lead a highly-engaging presentation, followed by participation in small group conversations about how to work alongside community organizers to affect social change. For more information please contact Isabel Broer.

TUE. October 21st
2014 ADAMS PRO BONO PUBLICO AWARDS CEREMONY
John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Sq. Boston, MA
4 pm

The Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services annually presents the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to honor Massachusetts lawyers, law students, small and large law firms, government attorney offices, corporate law departments, law schools or other institutions in the legal profession that demonstrate outstanding and exceptional commitment to providing volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged. Faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend.

For more information, please visit the Massachusetts Court System Pro Bono Honor Roll website.

WED. October 22nd  
PRO BONO INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP: LAW FIRMS AND THE JUDICIARY WORKING TO CLOSE THE JUSTICE GAP
Lewis 214A
12 – 1 pm
Non-Pizza Lunch Provided
Co-Sponsored by the Office of Career Services
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This panel discussion is led by leaders from law firms and the judiciary and it is focused on pro bono innovation locally, nationally, and internationally. Come be inspired to think about how you can build pro bono work into your legal practice! You will hear about new partnerships between legal aid organizations, social service agencies, and private law firms to better address unmet legal needs in the community. Some of these partnerships include initiatives that have assisted those with criminal convictions who are seeking a second chance; small entrepreneurs seeking help with business structure, intellectual property and contracts; and homeless youth in need of assistance at city homeless shelters. You will learn about how the local judiciary is playing a critical role in Massachusetts to expand access to legal services to the underserved through the Access to Justice Commission and related initiatives like the Pro Bono Fellow program. Finally, you will hear about how local lawyers are engaged in pro bono work internationally through projects.

Panelists include Associate Justice Cynthia J. Cohen HLS ’75 of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and three law firm pro bono leaders – Michael Haroz HLS ‘70, Goulston & Storrs; Harlene Katzman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; and Latonia Haney Keith HLS ’03, Former Pro Bono Counsel at McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

WED. October 22nd
HARVARD DEFENDERS LITMAN SYMPOSIUM – KEYNOTE SPEAKER, DEBO ADEGBILE
Milstein West
5 pm 
Co-Sponsored by the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs

Please join Harvard Defenders for their 65th Anniversary Celebration and the Third Annual Litman Fellowship Symposium. Debo Adegbile, Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hall and Dorr LLP, Nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division with be the keynote speaker. Dinner Reception begins at 5pm. Litman Fellowship Presentations at 5:30. Keynote Speaker at 7pm. For more information please contact Harvard Defenders at hdefenderslitmanfellowship@gmail.com.

THUR. October 23rd
LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE OTHER 99%: A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE WITH KEYNOTE SPEAKER JEFFERY ROBINSON
Hauser 104
12 – 1 pm
Non-Pizza Lunch Provided
Co-Sponsored by the Criminal Justice Institute, the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project and the Law and Social Change Program of Study
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To celebrate National Pro Bono Week, HLS alum Jeffery Robinson will give an inspiring address on our role in promoting access to justice for all individuals. Jeff has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1993. He has been selected as one of the top 100 black lawyers in America by Black Enterprise magazine and is an elected fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, whose membership is limited to one percent of the attorneys in any state. He is currently an attorney/shareholder with Schroeter Goldmark & Bender in Seattle. After graduating from HLS in 1981, Jeff spent the next seven years representing indigent clients in state court at the Defender Association and then in federal court at the Federal Public Defender’s Office, both in Seattle. In private practice at SGB since 1988, Jeff has successfully represented individuals and corporations in state and federal court on charges ranging from first-degree murder to healthcare fraud. Jeff has tried over 200 cases to verdict and has extensive experience representing clients in lengthy grand jury investigations that have resulted in no indictment.