Corporate Counsel has named four trailblazer in-house attorneys for 2006. This is the third profile in the series; one more will be featured on In-House Counsel in the coming days.

William Von Hoene Jr., General Counsel
Exelon Corp., Chicago

Managing insurance claims for an organ transplant recipient, seeking asylum on behalf of political refugees, securing birth certificates for the homeless -- these activities aren't in the usual job description for in-house lawyers. Unless, of course, those attorneys work for William Von Hoene Jr.

Promoted to general counsel of Chicago-based Exelon Corp. earlier this year, Von Hoene's pro bono initiative stands out for both its scope and the broad participation of his lawyers (he started the program as deputy GC in 2002). To ensure a wide range of work, his attorneys piggyback on outside firms' pro bono programs. That's "the formula that's been most successful for us," he says. As a result of Von Hoene's efforts, half of Exelon's 62 in-house lawyers and 14 paralegals logged more than 800 pro bono hours last year. That participation rate tops the 50 percent pledge goal set earlier this year by the Washington, D.C.-based Pro Bono Institute -- and it's one that few companies have met. "I don't know anyone else with a program like this," says Esther Lardent, president of the institute.

Von Hoene isn't new to lawyer volunteerism; he drew on his past experience as chairman of Jenner & Block's pro bono committee, as well as his former presidency of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Inc. He sees his work at Exelon as a natural progression of these efforts. Using his leverage as GC, Von Hoene regularly calls Exelon's six primary law firms, Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll; Sidley Austin; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Jenner & Block; Foley & Lardner; and Winston & Strawn, to see what kinds of volunteer work they're doing. He says he likes to partner with these firms and others because they have well-established programs, as well as deeper pockets, and available office space and personnel. Besides, he says, "it's always good to have a strong relationship with the people who represent you."

Von Hoene also solicits pro bono ideas from prospective new firms on requests for proposals (RFPs), which include an area to list volunteer activities. While coming up with a good pro bono idea has never sealed the deal in hiring a firm (nor prevented the hiring of a firm that didn't have one), it's something that Von Hoene and associate GC Kevin Stepanuk stress. "It reconfirms the law firm's participation in pro bono because [we] value [it]," says Stepanuk, who serves as pro bono coordinator for Exelon's Philadelphia office, where two of its local energy subsidiaries are located.

Another key aspect of the program is getting the in-house lawyers to buy in. Von Hoene eases the burden by allowing his attorneys to work on pro bono cases during regular business hours. At Exelon, a regulated utility, attorneys must keep track of their time, and Von Hoene permits lawyers to "bill" up to 50 hours annually for pro bono work. In addition, he encourages his lawyers to create their own project ideas. "You've really got to get their hearts," Von Hoene says. "People work hard because it's something they really want to do."

In Chicago, ten attorneys are currently working with Sidley Austin, Foley & Lardner, and the minority-owned Chicago-based firm Albert, Whitehead on a project called Lawyers in the Classroom. The community service (not strictly pro bono) project puts attorneys in elementary and middle schools to teach about law and the Constitution. "It builds team spirit, and a relationship outside the normal paying client work, on a more personal level," says Richard O'Malley Jr., a partner in the IP group at Sidley Austin. Three Exelon attorneys also spent nearly 100 hours obtaining school support and benefits for three children with disabilities, in conjunction with Holland & Knight and the Pro Bono Center for Disability and Elder Law in Chicago.

The Philadelphia office recently partnered with the Philadelphia Bar Association's Homeless Advocacy Project and Morgan Lewis for a "clinic in a box" session at a law department retreat. The local Exelon lawyers attended a three-hour clinic to secure birth certificates for more than 200 homeless men, women and children. The effort involved coordinating with the city on the process, completing the paperwork and verifying the identities of clients. (Morgan Lewis provided the office space and some attorneys.) "That day was the most successful clinic we've had to date," says Marsha Cohen, director of the Advocacy Project.

Exelon attorneys also pursue their personal legal interests. Several have volunteered their time with the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, a nonprofit that provides free legal advice and services to local artists and cultural organizations. And others helped assist Liberian immigrants with U.S. citizenship applications before a new law lengthening the waiting period for processing went into effect.

Von Hoene's department is starting to get kudos for its hard work. In August, Exelon received the Corporate Leadership Award from the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for its pro bono efforts, which included winning insurance coverage for a 65-year-old woman who had been denied coverage twice for a life-saving intestinal transplant.

"So many of the things that happen in pro bono are small. But for this person [you help], it's huge," Von Hoene says. "We don't have to give up a lot of time to make a big impact on someone's life."