Alston & Bird Celebrates Annual Pro Bono Week

Alston & Bird is holding a sixth Pro Bono Week from June 14-18, 2010. Pro Bono Week gives attorneys, paralegals and staff in all nine offices the opportunity to volunteer for and interact with non-profit organizations, and learn about their various volunteer needs. Awards are given to attorneys and staff for outstanding commitment to pro bono service.

Pro Bono Chair Mary Benton comments, “Our communities need pro bono services 365 days a year. We choose one week to recognize attorneys and staff who dedicate their time to pro bono work, and to inspire others by highlighting the huge impact we can make working together.”

Alston & Bird has a long history of giving back to our community by providing pro bono legal services and promoting equal access to the civil and criminal justice systems. Alston & Bird makes financial contributions to, and represents low-income individuals through, pro bono legal service providers in eight cities, while also supporting these organizations with leadership. In 2009, our attorneys contributed 47,055 pro bono hours, an average of 71 hours per attorney.

"Devoting a week to honoring the firm’s commitment to pro bono service has become a firm tradition,” according to Managing Partner Richard Hays.

This year’s Pro Bono Week activities include:

Pro bono fairs highlighting opportunities in local non-profit organizations
Trips to local food banks in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Raleigh
Domestic violence training programs in Silicon Valley and Atlanta
Donation drive and Ask a Lawyer programs for employees of Goodwill Industries in Charlotte
Dallas Volunteer Attorney training luncheon
Announcement of the Alston & Bird Mike Weston Scholarship winner
Casual for a Cause Day in Charlotte and Los Angeles
Volunteering for Rebuild Together, a non-profit that helps rehabilitate houses for low-income homeowners in Ventura County
Partnering with United Way of New York to make peanut butter sandwiches for local shelters
Queens Botanical Garden Beautification in New York
Family Giving Tree back-to-school drive, where employees pack new backpacks with school supplies for low-income students in Silicon Valley
“Buildable Hours” program with D.C. Habitat for Humanity