Minneapolis (July 5, 2011) - Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. is pleased to announce that the firm is among the top 10 law firms in The American Lawyer's 2010 Pro Bono Survey featured in the July issue. Scores are determined from the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer in 2010, and the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work.
"Making a profound difference in the lives of our clients and communities crosses over as a core value of the firm, by providing pro bono service and providing access to the justice system for all," said Steven A. Schumeister, the firm's Managing Partner.
"We are very proud to be recognized by our strong pro bono commitment from our attorneys," said Anne M. Lockner, a partner of the firm and chair of the firm's Pro Bono Committee. "Our attorneys have a goal of meeting or exceeding 50 pro bono hours yearly. For the past three years, more than 7 percent of our total attorney billable time was devoted to pro bono." Ms. Lockner reports regularly to the firm about the ongoing pro bono activities, reporting to the partnership quarterly and twice annually to the executive board.
Ms. Lockner credits the firm's Youth Law Initiative, which provides legal assistance to underrepresented children and teens who are victims of abuse or neglect, as one of the main reasons for the enthusiasm and participation from the firm's attorneys. "We also have more than a dozen pro bono partner organizations with whom we have built strong collaborative relationships. Having a personal interest in a particular issue motivates attorneys to volunteer, and through our pro bono partner organizations, we provide attorneys the opportunity to work on a variety of topics with a number of constituencies. We represent youth, immigrants, disaster victims, the homeless, mortgage-fraud victims, indigent criminal defendants, veterans, victims of domestic violence, and those suffering discrimination or persecution, just to name a few," she said.
A monthly internal e-newsletter inspires, motivates, and educates the firm with details about select current pro bono cases and upcoming training opportunities. Additionally, an annual report describes highlights of pro bono activity from each of the firm's offices and is available publicly on the firm's pro bono website page.
The firm received the National Law Journal's 2011 Pro Bono Award for its work over the last three years representing victims of Minnesota's I-35W bridge collapse. Attorneys and staff logged over 20,000 hours in free legal services to secure nearly $100 million for survivors and those who lost loved ones.
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