PRO BONO CLIENT COLLABORATIONS
Blank Rome Joins Comcast for SeniorLAW Center Clinic in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Blank Rome attorneys and Comcast in-house counsel held a clinic with SeniorLAW Center in Philadelphia. After spending time reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King, the volunteers drafted wills, living wills, and healthcare and financial powers of attorney documents for 10 low-income seniors.
Toll Brothers clinic.
TMA Mentorship Event.( L to R: Harris Diamond, Jill Mindlin, Kathy Ochroch, Evan Zucker, Mitchell Brand).
TMA Mentorship Event for small business owners.
Blank Rome attorneys and Comcast in-house counsel at the SeniorLAW Center Clinic.
Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity Pardon Clinic with JPMorganChase
In April, volunteers from our Philadelphia office partnered with in-house counsel from JPMorganChase to serve as“ pardon coaches” to help low-income Philadelphia residents with non-violent criminal records to prepare pardon applications. Volunteer teams helped clients complete their applications and draft compelling personal statements, which is a key component of the application.
Philadelphia Refugee Adjustment of Status Clinic with Toll Brothers Also in April, attorneys and paralegals in our Philadelphia office partnered with in-house counsel from Toll Brothers and pro bono partner HIAS Pennsylvania to host an Adjustment of Status( green card) clinic for resettled refugees. During the clinic, 18 clients received assistance completing their green card applications.
Life Planning Clinic with PNC Bank and SeniorLAW Center in Philadelphia
Blank Rome partnered with in-house counsel from PNC Bank and longtime pro bono partner SeniorLAW Center to host a life planning clinic during PNC’ s Financial Institutions Day of Service. Attorneys worked in teams to draft wills, living wills, and healthcare and financial powers of attorney for low-income seniors who otherwise would not have access to these critical documents.
Blank Rome Hosts Second TMA Mentorship Event for Small Business Owners Mitchell M. Brand, who serves as the Chairperson of the Turn Around Management Association ' s(" TMA ") Pro Bono Committee, along with Harris J. Diamond, Jill R. Mindlin( a member of TMA’ s Network of Women Committee), and Evan Zucker, hosted and served as mentors at the second TMA NYC Pro Bono Speed Dating Event for Mentors & Mentees event held in our New York office. Kathy E. Ochroch presented opening remarks and served as a mentor. The event brought in 25 entrepreneurs seeking advice to help get their business off the ground and grow, and was held in collaboration with Empire State Development’ s Business Mentor NY Program. It was an opportunity for entrepreneurs at any stage of business to obtain insights from more than 30 professionals working for some of the most prestigious legal, financial, and business consulting firms in the New York City area.
PRO BONO MONTH
Each April, the firm holds its annual Pro Bono Month, which features a wide variety of trainings and clinics across our markets. During the month, we ask attorneys and paralegals to show their commitment to pro bono by pledging to complete at least two hours of pro bono, or attend at least one pro bono clinic or training during April. Blank Rome’ s pro bono team provides colleagues with a range of options throughout the month, including:
Community Legal Services Clean Slate Training for Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Wilmington Attorneys and paralegals from our Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Wilmington offices attended a hybrid training session on the new Pennsylvania Clean Slate 3.0 presented by experts from Community Legal Services. Attendees gained valuable insight into the new state pardons and expungement eligibility requirements and filing procedures.
New York Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project Small Business Clinic Attorneys in New York attended a virtual clinic with Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project(“ NELP”), a long-time pro bono partner of the firm. NELP provides free legal support to New York City entrepreneurs with limited economic resources. Clients received free consultations on a broad array of legal topics, including corporate, contracts, employment, entity election, intellectual property,
and taxation matters.
Firm-wide Election Protection Information Session CLE with PNC Bank
Blank Rome and Troutman Pepper co-hosted a webinar on non-partisan election protection issues in preparation for the 2024 national elections, with support from our client PNC Bank. Blank Rome’ s Katherine Franco, Kathy E. Ochroch, and Julia C. Riskowitz served on the panel along with Troutman Pepper’ s Sara Richman, Committee of Seventy’ s Lauren Cristella, and Equal Justice Works’ Conner Kozisek. The panel discussed election integrity issues they were watching in 2024 and ways lawyers can get involved in non-partisan election work.
Attorneys and paralegals attend a Clean Slate Training session.
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