Milbank’s Hudson Yards office was the site of the 18th Annual NYC Law Firm Pro Bono Coordinators Conference, or UnConference, which brings attorneys together to discuss critical pro bono initiatives, goals and challenges. More than 100 pro bono representatives from most major law firms in New York and elsewhere in the US gathered for in-depth workshops and interactive panel discussions.
The sessions, which focused on risk management and the similarities between pro bono departments and other practice groups, included an Ethics CLE course, “Managing Risk during the Life Cycle of a Pro Bono Case,” and a panel discussion on the use of technology for managing risk in pro bono cases. Speakers included pro bono coordinators and counsel across numerous major law firms, including Ropes & Gray, Winston & Strawn, White & Case and Kirkland & Ellis.
In addition, the Public Interest Pro Bono Association (PIPBA), an association of pro bono professionals in the New York City area, led an exploratory session on pro bono projects in NYC, which included speakers from the nonprofit organizations Sanctuary for Families (“Sanctuary”) and Legal Information for Families Today (“LIFT”). Nicole Fidler, a former Milbank associate who works as Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Supervising Attorney, spoke about the organization’s initiative to provide legal aid and secure new sentences for women who have been convicted for murdering their abusers. LIFT representatives spoke about their program for providing remote legal counsel to clients who are in family court proceedings.
“We were thrilled to host the UnConference and to see this event going strong after 18 successful years,” said Milbank Pro Bono Counsel Tony Cassino, a founder of the conference, who organized the event with Deputy Pro Bono Counsel Becky Heller. “This gathering is a unique opportunity for pro bono professionals, who are often part of international law firms working across multiple jurisdictions, to focus and exchange ideas about best practices, while showcasing new ways to engage our firms’ attorneys in pro bono projects.”
This conference was also coordinated by Akerman LLP, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP, Ropes & Gray LLP, White & Case LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP.
