Arnold & Porter Increases Its Commitment to Pro Bono Effort
Washington, D.C., January 29, 2007 - Arnold & Porter LLP Chairman Thomas Milch and Managing Partner Richard Alexander announced today several new initiatives for pro bono, one of the core values of the firm since its founding.
The initiatives include a renewed commitment to pro bono activities, a special awards program, and the creation of a new senior pro bono partner position to be held by James Sandman, the firm's former managing partner. Mr. Sandman will work closely with Philip Horton, chair of the pro bono committee, to lead the renewed effort that aims to fully integrate pro bono activities with the business and professional development efforts in all practices and offices of the firm. Mr. Sandman also will be actively involved in handling pro bono cases on a day-to-day basis.
"This move builds on a longstanding pro bono legacy that is deeply imbedded in our culture," said Mr. Milch. "Pro bono is important not only to us, but also to our clients, many of whom are expanding in-house pro bono efforts of their own."
"Pro bono is among the most important work performed by the firm," said Mr. Alexander. "Our pro bono program has been a key factor in recruiting and retaining the best legal and other talent, and helps to provide a rewarding work environment for our firm."
Esther Lardent, president and chief executive office of the Pro Bono Institute at Georgetown University Law Center, commented, "The decision of Arnold & Porter's new management to place a former managing partner in such a pro bono leadership role at a law firm is unparalleled, and represents a ground-breaking movement in the pro bono field."
Arnold & Porter has established an awards program to honor two of the firm's lawyers each year who have distinguished themselves through their pro bono work. Each of the two lawyers will select a pro bono legal services provider to which Arnold & Porter will make a contribution of $15,000 in that lawyer's honor, for a total of $30,000 every year.
Additionally, Arnold & Porter has resolved to continue its policy of encouraging lawyers to spend up to 15 percent of their time on pro bono matters and that every Arnold & Porter lawyer-including partners, counsel, associates and staff attorneys-work on least one pro bono matter each year.
Mr. Sandman is currently President of the District of Columbia Bar. He served as managing partner of Arnold & Porter from 1995 to 2005, and serves on several of the firm's key committees. He has performed pro bono work throughout his 30 years at the firm, including during his tenure as managing partner, and has been involved with several pro bono organizations outside of the firm.
Mr. Horton has been chair of the pro bono committee since 2000, and has led Arnold & Porter to achieve the highest number of pro bono hours the firm has ever seen. He manages the pro bono program in all offices. His efforts in the past six years have led the firm to receive numerous awards and recognition for its pro bono activities, in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and nationally. Mr. Horton is on the Board and Executive Committee of The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Under Mr. Horton's guidance, Arnold & Porter has been a recognized leader in pro bono, and has received numerous awards from public service groups and Bar associations, including a Pro Bono Publico Award from the American Bar Association in 2004.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Pro bono work has been a core value of Arnold & Porter LLP since its founding more than 60 years ago. In the 1950s, Arnold & Porter was the principal law firm representing the victims of McCarthyism, and its commitment to the indigent was enshrined in 1963 in the firm's most famous case, Gideon v. Wainwright, which established the right to legal counsel for poor persons accused of serious crimes. Building on that tradition, the firm has continually sought to be a leader in pro bono work, and in recent years, it has increasingly focused its efforts on meeting the legal needs of the poor.