How Washington Appleseed Engages Pro Bono Attorneys in Addressing Systemic Social Inequalities

1. How Washington Appleseed Engages Pro Bono Attorneys in Addressing Systemic Social Inequalities Sue Donaldson, Esq. Washington Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest Seattle, Washington USA June 20, 2008

2. Thank you to Professor Walsh and to Director General Noeline Blackwell for their leadership • Thank you to Catherine Hickey of FLAC • Acknowledging the Thomas Addis Emmett Fellows who have worked with Washington Appleseed: • 2006 Nicola White • 2007 Claire McHugh • 2008 Kelly Mackey

3. What / How / Why • What we do at Washington Appleseed • How we develop projects • Why attorneys and firms are willing to volunteer to help us

4. What We Do • Washington Appleseed addresses issues of social injustice on a systemic level.  • By using public education, pro bono legal work and advocacy, community activism and policy expertise, we work to address root causes and produce practical solutions. • Our projects range from issues concerning health care, education, and economic security, to juvenile justice, electoral reform, housing, hunger, and more.

5. Appleseed Foundation (Founded 1993)“Pro Bono’s New Frontier” (The American Lawyer) • 16 Public Interest Justice Centers in U.S. and Mexico • Focus on systemic reform and structural solutions • Volunteers from legal, business, and academic professions • Local centers set priorities through their boards of directors • Program examples: health care, educational quality, financial access, immigration, remittances, election reform • National office and field staff provide policy expertise, some funding • Executive Director Council promotes coordination and best practices • Multiple offices handle “signature projects” • Latham & Watkins – Appleseed election reform • Several firms worked together on Katrina response analysis • Foundations support and law firms handle projects for centers • See www.appleseeds.net

6. How We Develop our Projects By Subject Matter Project Example: “Helping Children of Girls in Detention” Claire McHugh, 2007 Thomas Addis Emmett Fellow

7. How We Develop our Projects By Replication of Other Center Projects Project Example: “Expanding Children’s Access to Dental Care” Nicola White, 2006 Thomas Addis Emmett Fellow

8. How We Develop our Projects By Redeploying Transactional Legal Tools on behalf of Underserved Populations Project Example: “$30 Million USD Securitization for the YWCA to Provide Housing”

9. How We Develop our Projects By Theme 2008: Promoting economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for low wage workers and their families

10. Current Projects Promoting “Economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for low wage workers and their families” include:Working Families Credit: Local and State Sales Tax Relief (Davis Wright Tremaine)Asset Building Legal Issues (K & L Gates)Garnishment of Exempt Funds (K & L Gates, and White & Case)Monetization of Low-Income Weatherization (K & L Gates)Improved Community and Economic Development Tools for the Central Area, Rainier Valley and International Districts of Seattle (Heller Ehrman)Housing Affordability (Heller Ehrman)Affordable Housing Strategies for the Methow Valley (Attorney Volunteer Ryan Almstead) YWCA Housing Securitization Project (Foster Pepper &Davis Wright Tremaine)Work Supports Project (Senior Fellow Diana Stone)Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative (Senior Fellow Diana Stone)Health insurance coverage for children being raised by their grandparents (Perkins Coie)Potential projects include:Hunger issues being considered by Dorsey & WhitneyChild-care affordability issues being considered by Graham & DunnBanking / lending practicesIssues for low-income artistsHousing Affordability

11. How We Develop our Projects By Individual Passion Project Examples: “ Housing Affordability through Land Trusts” “Legal Rights of Workers with Multiple Sclerosis”

12. Why Attorneys and Firms Volunteer with Washington Appleseed Passion for Justice and Improving the Lives of Others

13. Why Attorneys and Firms Volunteer The American Bar Association supports pro bono through ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 (Voluntary pro bono publico service) which provides that lawyers should provide at least 50 hours of pro bono service annually by: - Direct representation of the poor or organizations which serve the poor without expectation of remuneration - Additional service to groups seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights, or charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations - Participation in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession See www.abaprobono.org and www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/rule61.html

14. Why Attorneys and Firms Volunteer Publicity and national recognition The American Lawyer: Annual listing of top firms • Profit-per-partner was the initial basis for ratings • Associate satisfaction, diversity and pro bono added as additional measures • The “A” list of the top 20 firms nation-wide: • Measures all of the above criteria in a single list • Pro bono score double-weighted • Allows firms that are not the most profitable to make the list • Top three firms had close to the highest pro bono scores • Recognition through “A” list annual dinner and publicity • List inspected carefully by members of the bar, students • Lifetime achievement awards for public service

15. Why Attorneys and Firms Volunteer Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Challenge (1996) • Applies to law firms with more than 50 lawyers • 3 or 5% of each firm’s total billable hours per year • Firm-wide commitment by all attorneys • Focus on legal services for: • Persons of limited means • Charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations addressing the needs of persons of limited means • Regular monitoring and reporting • 23 million hours of pro bono legal assistance estimated to date • 150 firms are signatories • See www.probonoinst.org/challenge

16. Why Attorneys and Firms Volunteer Corporate Pro Bono Challenge (2006) • Co-sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel of America (ACCA) and the Pro Bono Institute • Helps develop culture of pro bono in corporate legal departments • Simple, voluntary statement of commitment by general counsels • Overall goals: • Focus on improving the economic and social climate of communities • Encourage at least one half of the legal staff to do pro bono • Encourage outside firms used by companies to sign the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Challenge • 68 signatories Includes Accenture, AIG, Bank of America, Best Buy, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Dell, GE, HP, Intel, Merck, Met Life, Microsoft, Pfizer, Sara Lee, Shell, Starbucks, Washington Post

17. More information on our projects at our website: www.waappleseed.org • Questions? • Acknowledgements: • The Board of Directors, Washington Appleseed • Betsy Cavendish, Executive Director, Appleseed Foundation • Robert E. Herzstein, Esq. and Eric S. Koenig, Esq., Members, Board of Directors, Appleseed Foundation (Slides 5, 13-16 adapted from their January 2008 presentation in Mexico City.) Thank you!