PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008 - (Page 3)

CovER SToRy entire office’s growing experience in an area of the law, and the extent of the firm’s impact grows exponentially. Chicago’s now-complete Signature Project in Juvenile Justice is an excellent example of this ripple effect. Over the course of three years, lawyers not only represented more than 90 clients in juvenile proceedings; they also gained sufficient familiarity within the area of juvenile justice to participate in citywide discussions about the reform of the system and to produce a large-scale study of the transition of children from the juvenile detention center back into school. NATIoNAL ExPANSIoN Until recently, Signature Projects have been conducted within individual offices. In late 2007, however, we launched our first practice group-based Signature Project, Rebuilding Foundations of Home Ownership, through which members of our Real Estate Practice Group work to clear legal title to the homes of Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Once our clients receive clear title, our lawyers assist them in obtaining funds to rebuild. Embraced by the entire practice group, this project DLA Piper Lawyers at Pro Bono Publico Award Event focuses our resources from across the country on a community which desperately needs assistance. SmALLER offICES The Signature Project model has expanded to the firm’s smaller offices in recent years. In Atlanta, our lawyers are providing legal assistance to local victims of domestic violence. In Northern Virginia, our lawyers assist immigrants who have been abused to regularize their status within the US. RECoGNITIoN AND INvoLvEmENT Our Signature Project model has received significant attention within the legal community. Project leaders have presented at numerous conferences on how to develop such a project. Others have been asked to join local advisory boards and have received awards for their involvement. Recently, San Diego’s offices received an award from the San Diego Military Advisory Council for their implementation of a Signature Project focused on the needs of veterans, active duty personnel and their families. Perhaps most significantly, the firm recently received the American The basic structure of a Signature Project is simple. First, pro bono leaders within an office identify a large-scale legal problem facing their community. Working with local nonprofit partners, they then develop a multi-faceted strategy for addressing the problem, combining individual client service with higher-level policy work. Once the strategy is in place, firm lawyers receive extensive training on the issue, so that they can develop their own experience in the project area. Throughout, they are supported by significant firm resources, including unlimited billable credit for associate time devoted to the project. The result? At the most basic level, our lawyers make a difference by working one-on-one with individual clients who otherwise would not have an advocate on their side. Multiply this individual representation by one hundred, add to it an WINTER 2008 | 03

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008

PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008 Contents Cover Story: Digging Deep: DLA Piper’s Signature Project Model CSR Report Feature Story: DLA Piper Assists with German Ghetto Work Payment Program Clinics National News Mapping Impact An Interview With Jeff Coopersmith FourThought New Perimeter Update Awards and Recognition

PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008

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