Blog Rss FeedBDShttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=334Sometimes my job comes with really amazing benefits. Last night was one of those times - I had the pleasure and the honor of meeting Myrlie Evers-Williams, a hero of the civil rights movement, walking history, a national treasure, and a beautiful human being.Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:25:57 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=328Occasionally, I just can't resist the urge to use this space to express my admiration for the great work that Baker Donelson attorneys are doing on a pro bono basis. Our lawyers continue to have great success on behalf of the firm’s pro bono clients, and I'd like to share a few recent highlights with you.&nbsp; Please - indulge me for just a couple of minutes.<BR>Thu, 23 May 2013 13:39:29 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=320Earlier this week, I participated in a panel presentation for the Legal Marketing Association. Topic - Marketing Your Law Firm's Pro Bono Program. Contrary to what might seem the natural and immediate reaction, marketing pro bono is not an oxymoron. <BR>Fri, 03 May 2013 15:48:22 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=310I really love to see true dedication to public service recognized, even though those most dedicated to such causes tend to be the least interested in being recognized. But they deserve it the most! <BR><BR>A beautiful example is the recent Justice Robert H. Benham Community Service Awards bestowed by the Georgia Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism and the State Bar of Georgia. <BR>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:51:05 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=301You already know that Baker Donelson lawyers love pro bono, but I'm here to tell you - our staff loves pro bono too! It is so easy, and so rewarding, to get law firm staff involved in pro bono work. Of course, they can do the same kinds of things on pro bono matters that they do on files for paying clients - the typical secretarial and paralegal work that has to be done in any legal matter. They can prepare documents, summarize depositions, help with trial preparation, just as they always do. But when it comes to pro bono, there are additional opportunities for staff that offer them the chance to get more directly involved.Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:41:33 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=292One of the great things about being invited to be on a panel at the Pro Bono Institute's wonderful annual conference is that, even though I was presumable asked because I know something about the topic, I always learn much more from my fellow panelists. Such was the case last week, when I served with McGregor Smythe of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and Steven Fus, Assistant General Counsel at United Airlines, Inc. Our topic was pro bono opportunities in prison re-entry. <BR>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:05:32 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=289Have I been quiet lately? Among other things, I've been getting ready for Project Homeless Connect 2013 in Birmingham, which took place on Saturday March 9. What an awesome day! <BR>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:41:21 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=265Why do pro bono? There are many great reasons, of course. Almost as many great reasons as there are lawyers to do pro bono and pro bono clients to serve. But one you may not have thought about is this: our corporate clients are doing pro bono, and they want us to do it too. <BR><BR>At the most recent Pro Bono Institute conference, attendees were invited to talk on video about the importance of pro bono.Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:11:07 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=257As with most law firms, year-end is a time for counting both our blessings and our profitability. Of course, the clients who place their trust in us, and their legal business with us, are among our foremost blessings. We are grateful to you, our clients, for your faith and confidence in us, for the stimulating legal work you provide, and for the partnerships and friendships we have with you.Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:57:05 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=254It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to a close - nearly halfway through December already? Preparing for the holidays and working on my annual office clean out (which my beloved secretary absolutely despises) has me thinking over the year and the ups and downs Baker Donelson's pro bono program has experienced in the last twelve months or so. <BR><BR>A lot has happened, pro bono wise, in the past year, and most of it has been great! Some highlights:Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:50:53 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=236So, it is almost Pro Bono Week - the annual celebration of what so many of us do as a part of our day to day practices. We try to help. We try to stem the tide of injustice. Sometimes, we get pretty tired. Frankly, right now I'm exhausted, and Pro Bono Week hasn't even arrived yet. But even so, I'm very glad to take part in Pro Bono Week, and I'm excited about it.Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:54:28 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=228Did you know that many, many children come to the U.S. alone each year, and thousands of them are taken into custody and face immigration proceedings alone? While I was somewhat familiar with the problem of unaccompanied children coming here from South and Central America, I had no idea of the extent of the problem. I certainly did not have a good understanding of what those children face once they are apprehended. <br /><br />Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:25:50 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=227Last week I had the pleasure of joining a class at the Cumberland School of Law to talk about pro bono needs and opportunities. The class was one taught by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Greene of the Northern District of Alabama, on the subject of the problems of federal prisoner re-entry.Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:22:06 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=221Baker Donelson shareholder Eddy De Los Santos of Houston is a long-time devotee and volunteer of Child Advocates, Inc., the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) chapter in Houston. CASA organizations use court-appointed volunteers to act as the voice for abused children.Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:32:50 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=220I had what could only be termed a bittersweet experience last week - one of my favorite associates came by to tell me he was leaving the firm. It's too bad, for us, because he's exactly the kind of guy any law firm needs. Smart, funny, engaging and hard-working, with an entrepreneurial spirit. The latter attribute was what led to his departure. He wasn't defecting to another law firm. He was heading out on a great adventure in a business in which I have no doubt he will be a big success, and have a lot of fun.Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:09:00 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=212This afternoon, the wonderful Southern Center for Human Rights posted an article reporting the delay of all executions in Georgia until at least November, pending a review of the State's revised execution protocol As I usually do when I read any news report in this neck of the woods that deals with capital punishment, the poor, taxes, guns or politics (redundant, I know), I continued down to see what kind of hilarity, in the form of nutty comments, would ensue. One of the commenters stated that he "supports the death penalty as a deterrent." My reaction? "What about unicorns?" <br /><br />Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:22:00 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=206Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of participating in a webinar demonstrating the wonderful Online Tennessee Justice project. OnlineTNJustice.org is a secure web portal that offers pro bono legal assistance to qualified Tennessee residents via the internet. This innovative pro bono delivery system is now being expanded. All of the major work of software development has been done, and licensing of the system is available free to Access to Justice Commissions that want to implement it in their states. As a member of Alabama's Access to Justice Commission, I am very excited about working to implement this program for low income people in my state, and hope that many other states will do the same.Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:40:51 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=205<p>Don’t you love it when things really come together? Two of the many things I love about Baker Donelson are our pro bono program (of course) and our Women's Initiative, which is devoted to developing successful and rewarding careers for our female attorneys. When these two great programs collide, fantastic things seem to happen. </p><p>Our Women's Initiative and pro bono programs have joined to address domestic violence in three wonderful projects. </p>Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:05:31 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=203I have previously posted here about the problem of courts in the Southeast running debtor's prisons. You might think that debtor's prisons became a thing of the past, after having been abolished in the 1800s, or at least after the United State Supreme Court announced in Bearden v. Georgia that it is unconstitutional to jail people for being too poor to pay a fine. But you'd be wrong.Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:25:03 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=199Jennifer Keller is a lawyer with a full plate.  Her labor and employment practice keeps her on the move, providing advice and training to clients as well as handling employment litigation.  She also chairs Baker Donelson's Labor and Employment Department, providing leadership for more than 75 attorneys in her department across the Firm's many offices.  Amazingly, Jennifer also finds time to be a leader when it comes to pro bono.Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:22:26 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=196In cities and counties throughout the Southeastern United States, courts that hear traffic and misdemeanor cases are under pressure to be generators of revenue. With tax revenue decreasing and zero political will to increase tax rates, governments increasingly look to the fines imposed on petty offenders to bring much needed dollars into their coffers. Unfortunately, many of these courts are in such a hurry to impose fines and court costs that they don't take the extremely important first step of determining whether the defendants standing before them have the ability to pay.Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:24:28 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=194Sheryl Bey is no shrinking violet. She has risen to the top in her legal community through perseverance, determination, impressive skills as a litigator, and a heck of a lot of hard work. And she has the resume to prove it - just about every list of great lawyers in Mississippi, or in the Southeast, has Sheryl's name featured prominently. Those same attributes have served Sheryl well in her pro bono work. She puts them to use fighting the death penalty - a worthy battle that is often lonely and arduous.Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:01:33 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=192Two articles in the New York Times over the past couple of days provided me a reminder about the significant links between poverty and education inequality in this country. Yesterday’s paper reported on the publication of a number of annual lists of the best high schools in the nation. While the lists use a variety of different formulas to arrive at what they deem the best schools, a couple of factors that are not directly considered turn out to be the recurring themes. Schools that top the lists are either located in affluent areas, are highly selective charter schools that only admit students who are already high performing middle schoolers, or both. These schools don’t have subsidized lunches – they don’t need them. As the NYT story notes, “clearly, best schools would do best not to get bogged down serving students considered unbest.”Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:36:56 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=191Marlene Bidelman's practice in the Chattanooga office of Baker Donelson is centered around business - she handles things like commercial real estate, business transactions and financing, and asset-secured lending. But when it comes to pro bono, Marlene handles matters of the heart.Wed, 30 May 2012 13:02:32 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=182Birmingham's Stacey Davis has always had an interest in pro bono. For quite a few years now, Stacey has lent her entertainment law skills to a favorite pro bono client, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, which conducts an annual celebration of independent cinema in downtown Birmingham. While Stacey continues in her devotion to Sidewalk, she now also applies another skill set by handling pro bono adoption cases through the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program.Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:18:53 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=176At fewer than 20 attorneys, Baton Rouge is one of Baker Donelson's smaller offices, but that doesn't mean it doesn't do big things, including pro bono. This year, shareholder Errol King rules the roost as our 2012 Baton Rouge Pro Bono Award winner. As a member of the firm's Health Care group, Errol maintains a busy practice representing managed care organizations, and has been listed in <em>The Best Lawyers In America</em> for health care law every year since 1995. That's among the reasons that his pro bono clients are so fortunate to have him!Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:34:09 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=174Atlanta shareholder Nedom Haley maintains a busy practice representing Baker Donelson clients in tax and municipal finance matters. He also finds time to put his nearly 40 years of experience to work for non-profit organizations that fill some very important and very diverse community needs. Just in the last year, Nedom has provided much needed tax and corporate counsel for several wonderful community organizations.Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:47:19 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=171Last week, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the annual Pro Bono Institute Conference.  My first was last year, and after having an equally fruitful and energizing experience this year, I would not miss it for anything.Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:57:05 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=169One of the highlights of my pro bono year here at Baker Donelson is the chance to spotlight the wonderful work of some of our attorneys through our annual Pro Bono Awards.  I'm really excited about this year's Firm-wide Award, because it is a team effort that grew from an innovative idea.  Our Firm Pro Bono Award goes to New Orleans attorneys Bill Norton and David Rieveschl , who have done amazing work in heading our New Orleans office's highly successful Baker Donelson Non-Profit Institute team.Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:14:40 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=166The Corporate Counsel Initiative of the Tennessee Bar Association honored Baker Donelson for its work on pro bono and access to justice issues at its 6th Annual Gala on Saturday, March 24 at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. The firm received the “Law Firm Award” for its outstanding work on TBA’s Online Tennessee Justice website, which allows low income Tennessee residents to obtain free advice about legal issues from volunteer attorneys. This is an especially valuable resource for Tennesseans who live in rural areas and can't access the services provided by many pro bono organizations.Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:32:25 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=164It's that time of the year again - time for the amazing event known as Project Homeless Connect. PHC brings together, under one roof in one day, a dizzying array of services that people experiencing homelessness need to help them improve their lives. Dentists, doctors, barbers, job counselors, shoes and clothing, the all-important State ID card, and yes, lawyers (judges too!).Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:48:51 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=150Did I mention that the Pro Bono Institute is fabulous? I'm pretty sure I have. The most recent thing that brought this to mind was the Southeastern Regional Convocation last month in Atlanta. What an eye-opening experience - a strange combination of a depressing dose of reality and a simultaneous charge of energy from the collective strength in that room.Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:31:11 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=139<p>Attending the ABA's upcoming mid-year meeting in New Orleans? If you are, don't miss the chance to take advantage of some great pro bono learning opportunities sponsored by the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. </p><p>Nearest and dearest to my own heart, Baker Donelsons' Louisiana Pro Bono Coordinator, Sherry Dolan, will be part of a panel on "Updating ABA Leadership on Pro Bono Initiatives on Veterans and Homeless Issues." </p>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:55:16 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=138Imagine you and I are going to have a race. You get a brand new, souped up race car. I get an old Yugo with bald tires. You get a well-trained pit crew, plenty of gas, and the pole position. I get fumes and no help, and I get to start the race at the back of the pack. How do you like my chances?Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:23:39 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=126A recent article related to Pro Bono Week in Alabama stated that Alabama’s 16,000 attorneys donated about 13,000 hours of pro bono legal work to the State’s Volunteer Lawyer Programs during 2010. While there were undoubtedly some additional pro bono hours donated outside the VLP structure (which is the only way Alabama has to measure pro bono work among its attorneys), VLP work was likely the bulk of pro bono legal work done that year. During the same period, Baker Donelson’s attorneys (about 550 at the time) also devoted about 13,000 hours to pro bono work. While I am insanely proud of Baker Donelson’s attorneys and their commitment to pro bono, I don’t believe for a moment that this is because we are so much more altruistic than the average member of the Alabama State Bar. Instead, I’m confident that it is because we are working hard to make sure that a wide variety of well-organized options for pro bono involvement are available to our attorneys.Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:44:55 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=123It’s World AIDS Day once again, an annual event that I wish didn’t need to be observed. Since the early days of the U.S. epidemic, I have known many wonderful people who have struggled with this disease. Some, including a beloved cousin and his partner, have lost the battle.Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:39:37 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=122As many people do at Thanksgiving time, I try to reflect on the things for which I am thankful. Some years it is harder than others – struggling with the problems of ailing, elderly parents and in-laws can get you down, and the sadness and exhaustion of it begins to creep into every other aspect of your life (to the extent you get to have other aspects of your life). It’s good to re-focus on the things I really can be thankful for, and a pretty good list of them come from pro bonoMon, 21 Nov 2011 13:46:11 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=119A very exciting day for our New Orleans attorneys, Erin Pelleteri, Brandy Sheely and Monica Frois! After a frustrating remand and a long wait, a Baton Rouge court has ruled that the permit that allowed Tony, a Siberian-Bengal Tiger, to be displayed in a roadside cage at a truck stop must be revoked and cannot be reissued.Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:38:27 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=118Pro Bono Week 2011 is in the books, and I’m exhausted! But it’s a good kind of exhausted – the privilege of working to promote pro bono service is a wonderful gift year-round, but Pro Bono Week really is special. So many of us, all around the country, working together to serve, to promote service, and to appreciate service.Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:11:05 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=117Today in Birmingham, civil rights champion Fred Shuttlesworth will be laid to rest, and the day will be filled with celebrations of his life and work. Throughout the tumultuous early years of the civil rights movement, Rev. Shuttlesworth was a force to be reckoned with, and was undeterred in his determination to seek justice despite beatings and bombings and all manner of hatred hurled in his direction.Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:18:19 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=116Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court. The case was <em>Maples v. Thomas</em>, a post-conviction death penalty appeal in which I am privileged to represent a group of former judges of Alabama's appellate courts and former presidents of the Alabama State Bar as amici.Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:57:39 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=113Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a Baker Donelson Leadership Academy retreat. I was very happy to have been invited to attend – from my perspective, being deemed a firm leader can only mean good things about the firm's view of our pro bono program! Now that I have actually gotten immersed in the program, which is ongoing, I feel even more fortunate to be included. What an eye-opening experience!Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:27:49 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=111<p>Over the last couple of years, some state Supreme Courts and bar associations have experimented with steps to increase their members’ participation in pro bono representation. The Mississippi Supreme Court even announced the proposed adoption of a mandatory pro bono requirement that would have been the first of its kind. That proposal was met with a barrage of protest and criticism and, at least for now, appears to be on the back burner. </p><p>In a recent op-ed piece for the National Law Journal, Esther Lardent of the Pro Bono Institute said that mandatory pro bono should be a last resort, and she proposed some bold alternative steps to encourage much greater voluntary participation. Ms. Lardent is right, of course. Rarely is anyone more right about pro bono than she. </p>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:35:33 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=110Today I had the pleasure of making a presentation about Baker Donelson's pro bono program at our annual new associate orientation. It's so great to talk about pro bono to a group of people who are really receptive and eager to get involved. Several of the new associates asked afterward for details about particular pro bono projects in which the firm is involved, like the HELP program for the homeless and the Baker Donelson Non-Profit Institute that provides board training and document reviews and updates for community and charitable non-profits. I expect I will be busy for a while now helping these new lawyers get connected with pro bono organizations and opportunities that appeal to them.Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:18:44 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=103Sometimes I worry that people who walk by my office on the rare occasion that I’m actually in there must think I am either semi-comatose or secretly playing computer solitaire. If I am at my desk, there’s a decent chance I’m pondering. (I once knew a lawyer whose time entries on client invoices actually said things like “early morning reflections,” or “brainstorming,” but that’s another story.) Frankly there are quite a few constantly turning hamster wheels in my head as I continually think about how to improve this or that aspect of Baker Donelson’s pro bono practice or to solve one of those nagging problems that every pro bono practice or program faces. As Paul Simon observed back when he and I were both young, “it’s a wonder I can think at all.” As my husband observed as recently as last week, “seriously – you really forgot to put out the recycling again?”Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:47:19 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=99I recently spent time talking to some of our attorneys one on one, asking them to take on pro bono cases from a volunteer lawyer program. The VLP had a huge backlog of low income clients in need of help, and as I visited attorneys’ offices I explained that the cases mostly fell into three categories: divorce and family law, probate matters and adoptions. Two of the attorneys to whom I spoke looked puzzled, and asked the same question – why would a low income person be adopting a child?Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:45:25 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=97Our Washington, D.C. office continues to carry on our commitment to serving the homeless through its long-standing representation of the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), the nation's largest homeless shelter operator and provider of services for the homeless. If you missed our earlier post on the amazing history and mission of CCNV, click here to learn more.Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:51:41 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=96Those of us who manage law firm pro bono programs spend time dealing with a wide variety of issues about our pro bono policies, procedures, and cases. Some are interesting and important, many are quite mundane, and occasionally something really creates a controversy.  One thing that comes up from time to time is the dissension, disagreement and recrimination, both internal and external, which can happen when members of a firm handle a very controversial matter on a pro bono basis.Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:07:50 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=95In the Spring of 2010, Caldwell Collins and Courtney Smith, both associates in Baker Donelson’s Nashville office, conceived and pursued an idea to found a program that would partner our attorneys with those suffering from domestic violence to provide them with pro bono legal services. They put together a detailed plan for how to make that a reality, and presented their plan to our Women's Initiative and Pro Bono Committees. They then coordinated a kick-off event where the firm hosted a self-defense class and announced the program, and coordinated a training program for attorneys who wanted to participate.Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:05:14 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=92Although officially the Baker Donelson 2011 Memphis Pro Bono Award, we could really call this one a lifetime achievement award – recipient David Bearman has been devoting himself to pro bono legal representation of those who truly need his services for many years, long before the firm began to officially recognize it through awards and billable credit. David has handled all types of cases for individuals who cannot afford legal representation, from family and domestic matters to probate and even minor criminal cases, and has always worked tirelessly for his pro bono clients.Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:08:44 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=91Sometimes it seems like an otherwise enthusiastic group of attorneys gets into the pro bono doldrums. Maybe everyone is just super busy, or maybe not quite busy enough – seems like the latter is more likely to bring on a general enthusiasm slump. Maybe it’s just the lethargy brought on by beastly hot weather. A once lively rate of pro bono participation seems to be slipping, and you’re having trouble finding volunteers.Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:25:15 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=84Smaller offices don’t mean a small commitment to pro bono at Baker Donelson. In our Mandeville office of seven attorneys, Wade Bass led a team of pro bono lawyers handling a post-Katrina contractor fraud case.Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:54:28 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=81In New Orleans, Baker Donelson’s hot bed of pro bono, it takes quite a commitment to stand out. Matt Juneau, a first year associate, is already showing signs of greatness, and is our 2011 New Orleans Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:12:24 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=80Since joining Baker Donelson's Knoxville office as a first year associate in 2008, Kyle Baisley has exemplified the commitment to which all of us should strive for pro bono work and community service. We couldn’t be prouder to name him our 2011 Knoxville Pro Bono Award winner. He also should win the award for most diverse pro bono practice.Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:13:56 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=79As Baker Donelson's Pro Bono Shareholder, I am constantly trying to think of new ways to continue the amazing growth we have seen in our pro bono program over the last several years. After we reorganized our pro bono structure in 2008, our program really took off, and our hours doubled from 2008 to 2010. At some point, though, you've picked all the low hanging fruit and you have to roll up your sleeves and work harder to figure out where more growth can be found.  One logistical problem is that our locations cover a lot of territory. What's a pro bono gal to do with sixteen offices in five states plus the nation's capital?Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:57:01 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=78Pro bono in Baker Donelson’s Jackson office gets twice the benefit from Barry Campbell – he serves on the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee, and he devotes himself to his own pro bono clients. That’s why Barry is our Jackson 2011 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:19:14 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=76Baker Donelson’s Chattanooga office pro bono work was so nice, we had to give the award twice! Well, jointly really, to John McGehee and Heidi Hoffecker, recipients of our Chattanooga 2011 Pro Bono Award for their work for the Orange Grove Center, a private non-profit organization serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Heidi and John together worked nearly 200 hours over the last year on contested conservatorships for clients and their families, including one that had to be taken to trial.Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:10:16 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=75As my friends at many great pro bono legal services organizations would tell you, one of the many obstacles they face in reaching low income people in need of help is geography – often, a large proportion of a state’s low income population live in rural areas with few lawyers and no ability to access the services offered by an organization operating in a distant urban area. Many of these folks may have a legal question or issue that would be relatively easy for an attorney to resolve by providing some good advice or pointing the individual in the right direction. The difficult part is simply in getting the two together. A perfect opportunity for internet technology, and a few tech savvy minds, to work their magic.Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:25:59 GMThttp://www.bakerdonelson.com/one_good_turn/blog.aspx?entry=74Some people just get it. In Baker Donelson’s Birmingham office, one person who really gets it when it comes to pro bono is Kevin Garrison. Over the last couple of years, Kevin’s representation of homeless and indigent clients expanded to include work with a team of attorneys representing individuals wrongfully incarcerated by small towns in the metro Birmingham area simply because they were too poor to pay fines for such minor infractions as traffic violations and petty misdemeanors.Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:28:48 GMT