Corporate Pro Bono
Pro Bono Law Ontario works with corporations to help them engage in the process of creating pro bono policies for their legal departments. PBLO can then help companies partner on community projects.
Corporate lawyers should note that those in the 25% and 50% (non-practising) fee categories who wish to provide pro bono legal services through Pro Bono Law Ontario may apply to the Law Society to be exempt from the requirement to pay 100% of the Law Society's annual fee (mirroring the LAWPRO insurance levy exemption for non-practising lawyers who provide LAWPRO-approved PBLO pro bono legal services.)
Corporate Pro Bono Policies
The development of pro bono policies for corporate legal departments has been one of PBLO's most important accomplishments.
Pro bono policies are significant because these policies:
- count pro bono time as work time which signifies the commitment to pro bono work by these companies and enables all legal department staff to participate; and
- institutionalize pro bono participation as part of a company's day-to-day culture.
The following corporations have developed, or are in the process of developing, pro bono policies:
Royal Bank of Canada
Toronto-Dominion Bank
Corporate Pro Bono Partnership Projects
PBLO has successfully brokered a number of innovative pro bono projects for corporate legal departments. Community organizations approach PBLO for help (or vice versa) and then PBLO matches up these partners with an interested corporate legal department, resulting in exciting opportunities for solicitors.
Partnerships provide a unique opportunity for companies to develop relationships with organizations that help low income and disadvantaged communities and assist in community economic development.
At the development stage for these partnerships, PBLO facilitates a meeting between the community organization and the company to clearly delineate the parameters and expectations of the pro bono relationships, including best practices and memorandums of understanding.
Developing a corporate pro bono project:
There are a number of ways that pro bono programs can be developed for a corporate legal department:
- Pro bono partnership with a legal aid or specialty clinic
- Pro bono partnership with a community service group (such as domestic violence groups, special needs children, civil rights groups)
- Partnership project with a charitable organization
- Summary advice clinics (artists groups, ethnic community groups)
Implementing a corporate pro bono project:
To develop a pro bono project for your corporate legal department, these are the suggested steps to take:
1. Develop a written pro bono policy.
2. Establish a Pro Bono Coordinator.
3. Work with PBLO to identify a project for the company and work out specific details.
4. Promote the new initiative to legal department staff.
5. Make use of PBLO's online resources and coordination support.
