At Baker Donelson, we're expanding our expectations when it comes to pro bono service. Since 2008, we've doubled the yearly number of hours our attorneys devote to pro bono work, and we're aiming even higher.
While a law firm is a business, we refuse to define ourselves or our success just by looking at the bottom line. Pursuing justice is the backbone of our profession, and justice is denied when access to the legal system is blocked for those in need. As attorneys, we offer a service that can benefit the public good, and it is our duty to use our talents to better the community. When we do, Baker Donelson benefits as well, by improving the justice system in which we must function, making the communities where we live and work a better place and by developing compassionate and highly skilled attorneys.
Pro bono projects at Baker Donelson are overseen by the Firm's Pro Bono Shareholder, and by the Pro Bono Committee, whose members include both shareholders and associates representing all of Baker Donelson's geographic locations. Each office also has a Pro Bono Coordinator who assists attorneys in the process of identifying pro bono matters where we believe we can make a difference. Our efforts include work on a wide variety of matters, including advocating for the homeless and organizations that serve the homeless, death penalty litigation, providing corporate legal services to non-profit organizations, and much more. During the last year, our attorneys and the Firm received numerous awards and accolades for their exemplary pro bono efforts.
Representative Pro Bono Work
Attorneys across Baker Donelson devote generous amounts of time, energy and resources to providing pro bono representation to individuals and organizations in order to meet legal needs that would otherwise go unmet. Below are just a few examples of the outstanding pro bono activities and achievements of our attorneys Firm-wide.
Atlanta, Georgia
Attorneys in the Atlanta office have devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort to our representation of the Atlanta Task Force For The Homeless. Thanks to the efforts of a team led by Steven Hall and Robert Brazier, the Task Force, which serves the chronically homeless in the downtown area, has remained open despite concerted efforts by other interests to cut off its funding and force it to close. Non-profit organizations in the Atlanta area frequently benefit from our attorneys' volunteer efforts for the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, and Atlanta associate Valerie King was recently named a PBP Volunteer of the Year. Atlanta attorneys also are active with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Saturday Morning Lawyers Project and provide pro bono representation to the poor in such matters as landlord-tenant disputes, domestic cases and other litigation matters. The "Saturday Morning Lawyers" meet their clients at a weekend clinic and represent those clients for as long as it takes to handle that particular legal problem. Atlanta attorneys also have drafted wills for first responders such as fire fighters, police officers, and EMTs, provided free corporate legal work for non-profit organizations through the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, and handled death penalty cases in the post-conviction review process.
Birmingham, Alabama
Attorneys in the Birmingham office provide a wide variety of pro bono services to their community. Our Birmingham office is very active in pro bono work with the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program and the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program, and spearheaded the creation of HELP's two weekly shelter clinics in Birmingham. The successful program, which is in its second year of operation, is coordinated by Pro Bono Shareholder Lisa Borden, and includes volunteers from many law firms across the city. Birmingham associate Kevin Garrison is expanding our advocacy for Birmingham's homeless and indigent population by representing plaintiffs in class action litigation designed to stop the operation of unconstitutional debtor's prisons in municipalities in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Birmingham attorneys also were instrumental in the Alabama State Bar's highly successful Pro Bono Celebration Week in 2009, helping to organize legal clinics for the poor around the state. Alabama Appleseed also benefits from a great deal of effort by our Birmingham attorneys, who have participated in many Appleseed projects including efforts to reform Alabama's antiquated constitution, studying ways to better provide health care coverage to the poor; and addressing the problem of unlicensed day care centers. Birmingham attorneys are currently representing two indigent Alabama death row inmates in post-conviction proceedings.
Jackson, Mississippi
Our Jackson lawyers devote significant pro bono time to the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer Program, Stewpot Legal Clinic, and Legal Line, which offers pro bono advice by phone. In addition, Jackson lawyers are helping to address a tremendous backlog on Mississippi's criminal dockets by acting as volunteer prosecutors. On the other side of the coin, Jackson associate Jesse Mitchell was a key part of the team that successfully defended an indigent person in a triple homicide case in 2009. Jackson attorneys, with significant leadership from Brett McCall, also work with needy clients from Mission First, the Mississippi Center for Justice, and the Mississippi Veteran's Advocacy Clinic.
Memphis, Tennessee
Our Memphis office recently organized and launched a new Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program clinic in Memphis, in partnership with Memphis Area Legal Services, the Community Legal Center, and the Hospitality Hub of Memphis. In addition to staffing the initial clinic, Lori Patterson of our Memphis office will coordinate the monthly clinics to be staffed by volunteers we recruited from other law firms and organizations. Our Memphis attorneys have an active pro bono practice through individual case referrals and clinic work for Memphis Area Legal Services, the Community Legal Center, the Humane Society, a local organization that advocates for the deaf, and the "Attorney-of-the-Day" Courthouse Advice Clinic at the Shelby County Courthouse. The clinics provide free advice to the public regarding such matters as landlord-tenant disputes, consumer credit issues, bankruptcy cases and domestic relations concerns. Our Memphis office has been active in providing pro bono assistance in immigration matters, and assists in recruiting and training other attorneys to that cause. During his tenure as Tennessee Bar Association in 2009, Memphis shareholder Buck Lewis made pro bono service a priority, launching the 4All program to encourage attorneys throughout Tennessee to make a difference through service. Buck was subsequently appointed to the TBA's newly formed Access to Justice Commission and continues his devoted pursuit of equal access for all Tennesseans.
Nashville, Tennessee
In 2008, the Nashville office launched Nashville's Homeless Experience Legal Protection program clinic at the Room in the Inn shelter, and Nashville associate Jill Suwanski continues to coordinate that effort on a monthly basis. The Firm was awarded the Nashville Bar Association's 2009 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year award in recognition of the impact of its work with HELP. Attorneys in Nashville also represent individuals in a variety of pro bono matters referred by the Nashville Bar Association Pro Bono Program. Recent NBA referrals accepted by our Nashville lawyers include cases involving family and domestic law, employment, landlord-tenant, and debt collection matters. Nashville attorneys also help out with the Nashville Legal Aid Society's evening walk-in clinic, where individuals in need of legal advice can talk with an attorney about their legal matters one on one without having to make an appointment or miss work. Our Nashville office also is handling a death penalty case in post-conviction proceedings.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Our New Orleans attorneys regularly accept pro bono cases from the Pro Bono Project of New Orleans, and provide hundreds of hours of pro bono services to individuals in domestic and civil matters. The Pro Bono Project named Baker Donelson its 2009 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year, and also honored New Orleans attorney Sherry Dolan for her distinguished service. Our New Orleans office continues its active involvement in the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program, regularly working at HELP's homeless shelter clinics and working with its founder, U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey, on an initiative to establish a homeless court in New Orleans. Sherry Dolan of our New Orleans office is the coordinator of the homeless court program. New Orleans attorneys also are very active in working with Louisiana Appleseed. New Orleans associate Kathlyn Perez was honored with the "Good Apple" award for her 2008 leadership of a large group of attorneys on a project designed to improve the response of local, state and federal governments to future disasters, and shareholder Phyllis Cancienne was an integral part of the group of Louisiana Bar Foundation Fellows that received the Good Apple Award in 2009 for their work on ensuring equality in education.
Washington, D.C.
Attorneys in our D.C. office have long been devoted to their representation of the Community for Creative Non-Violence, the nation's largest homeless shelter operator and provider of services for the homeless. While providing direct services to homeless individuals is obviously very important, keeping shelter and service providers operating is equally vital. John Calender and Phillip Zane of our D.C. office contribute to that effort not only by providing general legal counsel to CCNV, but also representing it in litigation that threatens its already thinly stretched budget.
For more information about Baker Donelson's pro bono practice, please contact:
Pro Bono Committee Chair
Jonathan Cole, jcole@bakerdonelson.com
615.726.7335
Pro Bono Shareholder
Lisa Borden, lborden@bakerdonelson.com
205.244.3803
Pro Bono Committee:
Atlanta
Clint Crosby, ccrosby@bakerdonelson.com
678.406.8702
Birmingham
Lynn Reynolds, lreynolds@bakerdonelson.com
205.250.8313
Chattanooga
Sheri Fox, sfox@bakerdonelson.com
423.209.4230
Jackson
David Rueff, drueff@bakerdonelson.com
601.351.2469
Johnson City
Brent Young, byoung@bakerdonelson.com
423.928.0181
Knoxville
Kelli Thompson, kthompson@bakerdonelson.com
865.549.7205
Memphis
Caroline Boswell, cboswell@bakerdonelson.com
901.577.8149
Lori Patterson, lpatterson@bakerdonelson.com
901.577.82
Nashville
Samuel Bowman, sbowman@bakerdonelson.com
615.726.5701
Meg Gossett, mgossett@bakerdonelson.com
615.726.7309
New Orleans/Mandeville
Sherry Dolan, sdolan@bakerdonelson.com
504.566.5292
Washington, D.C.
John Calender, jcalender@bakerdonelson.com
202.508.3473