Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files

Local journalism is in crisis — and among its challenges is the urgent need for lawyers to enforce open records laws and assess stories for legal vulnerabilities. In Part One, hear how lawyers from Microsoft and Davis Wright Tremaine joined forces with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Knight Foundation to build ProJourn, an initiative to protect journalists by equipping them with the pro bono legal support they need to tell impactful, truthful stories.

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Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individual

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Matching willing lawyers with appropriate pro bono projects can be a challenge. What are the factors that contribute to their decisions to work on one project or another — or to even get involved at all? Two experts on managing and advising pro bono teams, Julia Wilson and Kelly Tautges, share how in-depth discussions and focus groups have helped them identify the key drivers of pro bono involvement.

Related CLE Content: How you write the recruitment email has a big impact on whether folks say yes to pro bono. You can learn how to make all of your emails more impactful in PLI’s Informal Legal Writing program – co-created & taught by our host, Alicia Aiken.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

 

Florida recently restored the right to vote to over a million individuals who have served time for felony criminal convictions, but thousands in the state are still disenfranchised due to court fees and other hurdles. Hear from lawyers involved in voting rights restoration — as well as a client looking forward to voting — about the long and complex effort to advocate for full participation in democracy, and how pro bono has made a difference.

Host Alicia Aiken speaks with Lena Hopkins of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Raymond A. Traendly of TK Law, and client Wayne Wilson for this timely episode.

Related Links:

Voting Rights Restoration Efforts in Florida: A summary of current felony disenfranchisement policies and legislative advocacy in Florida

Related CLE Program: You may also be interested in Voter Rights 2024. Attendees will examine current voting laws and challenges in the United States and learn how attorneys can help protect voting rights. Learn more, register and earn CLE credit.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Entrepreneurs, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, face a lot of pain points when starting a new business or nonprofit enterprise. Hear how corporate lawyers can ease the pain, and support initiatives that benefit communities, through pro bono legal help with Darryl Maxwell of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, Jennifer Kent of Latham & Watkins, and Al Goldberg of Mess Hall in Washington, D.C.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

 

In this special crossover episode with PLI’s inSecurities podcast, hear about how pro bono clinics can help vulnerable investors protect their hard-earned retirement funds and nest eggs. Alicia Aiken is joined by Kurt Wolfe and Chris Ekimoff for an informative conversation with law professors, a recent law school grad, and an SEC attorney about their work aiding underserved retirees.

Listen to the related inSecurities episode: https://www.pli.edu/insecurities/episode-126

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

 

In the second part of Alicia Aiken’s conversation with Lexi Wung, recorded over a year later, Lexi has completed her first year as an associate with Kirkland & Ellis. Has she held on to her passion for pro bono? Hear what her experience has been like as she takes on “interesting, difficult, but meaningful” pro bono cases while building her skills in billable client work.

Go back and listen to Part One

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

 

For a law student, it can be hard to figure out what a law firm job will be like — and whether pro bono will really be supported as part of regular work life. In the first of a two-part episode, hear from Lexi Wung, then a recent Michigan law grad entering a Big Law firm. She shares her aspirations, questions, and fears as an up-and-coming first-generation lawyer with a passion for social justice.

Listen to Part 2

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

 

In this bonus episode, Ryan Haygood and Ezra Rosenberg — recently featured in the Protecting Voting Rights episode — share how their backgrounds led to their professional focus on voter advocacy.  

Related CLE Program: You may also be interested in Voter Rights 2024. Attendees will examine current voting laws and challenges in the United States and learn how attorneys can help protect voting rights. Learn more, register and earn CLE credit.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Laws restricting the ability to vote, such as unnecessarily strict voter ID requirements, disproportionately impact voters of color. Hear a conversation with Ezra Rosenberg (Voter Rights 2024 Program Chair) and Ryan Haygood about how pro bono advocacy plays a crucial role in the ongoing fight to protect voters’ rights and fulfill the American vision of ballot access for all eligible voters.

Related CLE Program: You may also be interested in Voter Rights 2024. Attendees will examine current voting laws and challenges in the United States and learn how attorneys can help protect voting rights. Learn more, register and earn CLE credit.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Host Alicia Aiken welcomes fellow movie buff and attorney John Whitcomb for a lively discussion of how pro bono has been depicted in past Oscar-nominated films — and how these stories reflect the popular understanding of access to justice.

Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals